the stars are aligned
Remember that Seinfeld episode that went backwards? Meaning, the last event was shown first, and so on and so forth until the first event was shown last, according to the characters’ timeframe? Well here’s my version:
Tomorrow is Labor Day and today is the second day of an American long weekend. Hoorah! But what is a long weekend to a person who has just experienced two consecutive summers already? Hoorah. Anyway, we expect it to be crazy in the stores tomorrow, what with the sales and everything. Fight!
We went crazy at Bed Bath and Beyond today, closing out the store and spending a lot on the “basics,” as my mom would call them. We’re slowly going down the “scale of necessity,” and I’m happy to report that we now have soap and toothbrush holders, mats and wastebaskets in each bathroom, utensils that aren’t made of plastic and plates that aren’t made of paper, styrofoam or tinfoil. You would think that by now we would have something - anything - to sit on, but no. But it’s all good, I have no complaints. We’re still alive, my brothers are having fun and my mom is here to see us through. I only realized recently just how amazing she is, and I’m thankful that she seems to have an unlimited supply of courage, patience, willpower and resources in order to keep the dream alive. Thanks ma. Now go and hug your mommy and have some bread with this cheese.
“Our” wireless internet has been acting up recently, which is why I’ve been writing this in Microsoft Word for so long. Hopefully I’ll be able to upload this to my journal soon, and sorry to those wondering what the heck has been going on in my life and I why they haven’t heard from me for so long. I’ve been staying up late writing significant events down just for you guys, the main reasons I created this journal in the first place. Keeping it real. Now go hug your BFF and feed a baby with this mush.
--------------------
So here I am, prone on the carpeted floor of my new room in Lancaster, California. I’m finally able to sit down - that is, lie down - and update my journal after two weeks of lightning-quick developments and hectic transition, thanks in part to a neighbor too lazy to put a WEP key on his wireless router. Since we just moved in, my room is bare and my stuff is all over the floor. I actually don’t mind it this way because I can make a mess and it would be perfectly excusable. Anyone who has been in my room and/or car/s can attest that I tend towards “disorganized unity” (but not at the “ecosystem” level, like someone I know). Jaco’s is worse though - you can’t see the floor through his clothes - and surprisingly, Praningja’s room is the most organized. Who would’ve thunk it?
We spent half the day today at Home Depot looking at blinds, shower doors and closet organizers. Three words: too many choices. There were so many brands, styles and customizations available that I ended up not getting anything for my room at all. I should really plan out my room before I put anything in it (yeah, I care). Praningja said he’ll create a Sims room in order to see the different layout, color and design schemes available. Blue floor and white walls or vice versa? Wood or vinyl blinds? Hanging shelves or an ordinary closet? Times like these are when I wish I had a woman with me, because that is what they are good for at. At least we were able to get the shower doors, which are standing in their packages near the bathroom doors, waiting to be installed by… me. Good luck, shower doors.
I’ve been getting the hang of getting around lately, with the streets and locations becoming familiar to me bit by bit. I went to Ralph’s to stock up on Coke Zero, Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng, Hunt’s Tapioca Snack Packs and good old Vitamin D milk. My grocery trip was made possible by the new (-ly rented) Dodge Neon, care of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which has been making a fair amount of profit recently because of us. This ad was brought to you by Evian mineral water, “Ang tubig na may lasa (The water with taste).”
--------------------
I’m finally listening to the Kala album that I bought just before I left for the States. Even before I heard the rest of the songs, I knew that Manila High would be a fulfilling and nostalgia-inducing sound trip after listening to the lead single Jeepney (no, not the one by Sponge Cola, please), and I was right. It boasts of that funktified, psychedelic, switch-tempo “Manila Sound” reminiscent of the excellent BossaManila by the Sound (a band which, I only now theorize, was probably formed for the sole purpose of producing the aforementioned album - as the music plays the band, indeed), which I also own. I only buy the albums of bands that actually have talent, so if you want the best OPM bang for your hard-earned buck - I mean, peso - check these guys out.
Actually I have no idea if these guys are still on the airwaves today. How is the local music scene going on anyway? Is the pogi-rock era over yet? Yes, there was a lot of cheese, but besides that, I must admit that OPM hit a creative stride this year, with music that we can actually be proud of. I hope it’s still the case today. I’m still kicking myself for leaving my Urbandub and Pedicab CDs in the Philippines without importing them into my iTunes.
Praningja is still engrossed in his book, and continues to stealthily sneak through the rooms and corridors of the house (and sometimes, through grocery aisles), hiding in dark spots and ambushing and killing imaginary sentries. Jaco is probably lying somewhere listening to his iPod, and my mom is probably listening to Simon and Garfunkel and Beatles over and over and over again while finishing the kitchen cleaning (we need new CDs, yes) or checking and making to-do lists. Ah yes, people will find ways to entertain themselves when the usual means aren’t present.
--------------------
It’s a trip “breaking in” a new house. There’s a certain excitement in filtering out the barest necessities and gathering them one by one, slowly and surely per day, from new-homeowner-friendly stores scattered around the area. It can be surprising to realize how much a house really needs, and these are things that we (I) usually take for granted and only look for at the very moments we need them or notice them gone. You begin to appreciate the value of a shower curtain when you find yourself sloshing about in bathwater outside the tub, or the value of a light bulb when you find yourself searching for a small screw in an unlit room, or the value of a soap dish when you find that there is no soap dish.
Thankfully, services in America are so well-organized that we were able to sign up for water supply, garbage collection, electricity and a mailbox in mere hours, through a few phone calls and just a little bit of driving using our good old Tercel. Scoff if you must but I still find myself delighted at the little things that constitute American living, like automatic garage doors, programmable thermostats, automatic dishwashers and a fireplace. Small conveniences like these remind me that I am indeed in a country other than good old Pinas. I think Pinas skipped these little things and went right ahead and built cell sites in every province. I believe they were built by the same guy whose bright idea was to build a Ferris wheel in Boracay. I love making no sense. Ha ha, I just said love making.
Sadly, “my” 2007 GMC Canyon was returned to Enterprise today (audience sigh). But on a brighter note, we welcome the newest additions to our appliance family: washer, dryer and fridge (audience cheer). No more recycling underwear and hanging milk in front of the a/c! And of course, what Pinoy household would be complete without a rice cooker and dispenser? Down with potatoes! Or not.
--------------------
You can put down August 30, 2006 as the day the Sisons - four out of five of them, at least - moved into their new house in Lancaster, California. And when I say house, that’s about all there was - a house. When we got in, after excitedly moving our stuff from the motel using our awesome GMC Canyon pickup truck, we said, “Now what?” and just stared at each other. And then I proceeded to “christen” the upstairs bathroom.
Also, it will go down in history books that the first appliance in this house was a coffee maker that my dad bought. Congratulations, Mr. Coffee! In addition, the first dinner was baked salmon and undercooked potatoes. Way to go ma! But honestly, I never knew my mom could actually cook. I guess she never really had to, except for that one time where she cooked corned beef long ago for some whiny kid who demanded corned beef because he didn’t like what was on the table. He never ate the corned beef though, that little Satan’s spawn. And lastly, the first night in the new house was spent in the master bedroom, on a pair of airbeds, just like the old school early 90s Xavierville days. Except the airbeds were mattresses. And we were cuter then. Now, we’re just semi-cute, like how a troll is semi-cute.
--------------------
We brought our dad to LAX after his short-lived stay in Cali. Actually, we just brought him to an airport express near Panorama City, a place that takes people by bus to LAX. Thing is, it looked like an actual airport, so that was pretty cool, and very convenient.
We got a good deal on a 2007 GMC Canyon rental, even if all we wanted was just any car that could take me to my job interview in downtown Los Angeles. I’ve never really driven a pickup before, and I must admit that driving a truck somehow makes you feel like you own the road. I like driving and showing off in big cars because I have a small… amount of experience in driving big cars.
Anyway, I guess I’m part of the LA workforce now, like, whatever, you know. Time to earn those big minimum wage bucks and buy me a pair of disposable sunglasses, which aren’t really meant to be disposable, in hip Chinatown! Oh yeah!
--------------------
We’re still living the Suite Life (how witty and original!) in Motel 6, Lancaster, while waiting for the escrow for the house. Although it has a television, it has no fridge, and thus we had to be content with hanging our “refrigeratorables” (is that even a word?) in front of the air-conditioning unit, which was my dad’s idea, by the way. He also bought a coffee maker for $2 at Ralph’s, which we also used for heating water for the noodles, blending fruit shakes and cooking beef stew. No such appliance, you say? You’re right. But it IS good for making coffee. And heating water.
Speaking of driving (huh?), we have been exploring the confusing streets of Palmdale and Lancaster, getting lost (many times) along the way. We’ve been using our trusty ’93 Toyota Tercel, Tita Chit’s ancient car whose engine we replaced so we could use it. It’s our first car here, and it does the job. You gotta learn how to handle this firestarter though ‘cause it accelerates like a jack rabbit on acid, 0-60 in 60 seconds, that’s crazy fast yo. We also rented a Dodge Grand Caravan, AKA the “Soccer Mom” car, which I liked, because I’m a soccer mom. It’s actually fun renting cars because we get to drive a lot of different types of vehicles in such a short period of time. It’s like, psh, I don’t like this one, next! Bring me a Kia Pride this time and make it snappy!
Little by little we’ve been able to discover places where we can eat, buy stuff for the house and for ourselves, and basically just places where we can hang out. I was happy to find that my new favorite store, Barnes and Noble, was here (geek!). But really, who wouldn’t enjoy being in a store with books and books of information on just about anything? And it’s free, since you can read in the store all day! And there’s a music section where you can scan and sample the albums! I went with my brothers, and we got so caught up in the books so much that we spent the whole afternoon there. I was in the novels and humor sections alternately (Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox, check it out), Jaco was reading books on romance and relationships, and Carlo, for some reason, was suddenly obsessed with ninjas and assassins. He bought a book on ninjas and then later at the motel, he would start flailing his nunchucks around (they’re illegal in California, by the way), meditating and lecturing us on the ninja code. It got so out of hand that Jaco and I decided to give him a new nickname, which combined his newfound affinity to that Japanese cultural icon, the slight paranoia that has been part of his behavior ever since (i.e. smelling his food before eating it) and of course, his ancestry: The Great Brown Praningja! Welcome to the family, Praningja-san! Herro, RaRa!
--------------------
to be continued... backwards
touching upon
- the first few days in Motel 6
- my dad's birthday week in California
- 2 weddings in 1 weekend in San Diego
- my dad's birthday celebration in the Bautista house
- my first Amazon.com purchase
- the cue to switch "venues" (i.e. move to Lancaster and thank the Bautista family)
- the sweet fashion show gig and Steve's model dilemma
Tomorrow is Labor Day and today is the second day of an American long weekend. Hoorah! But what is a long weekend to a person who has just experienced two consecutive summers already? Hoorah. Anyway, we expect it to be crazy in the stores tomorrow, what with the sales and everything. Fight!
We went crazy at Bed Bath and Beyond today, closing out the store and spending a lot on the “basics,” as my mom would call them. We’re slowly going down the “scale of necessity,” and I’m happy to report that we now have soap and toothbrush holders, mats and wastebaskets in each bathroom, utensils that aren’t made of plastic and plates that aren’t made of paper, styrofoam or tinfoil. You would think that by now we would have something - anything - to sit on, but no. But it’s all good, I have no complaints. We’re still alive, my brothers are having fun and my mom is here to see us through. I only realized recently just how amazing she is, and I’m thankful that she seems to have an unlimited supply of courage, patience, willpower and resources in order to keep the dream alive. Thanks ma. Now go and hug your mommy and have some bread with this cheese.
“Our” wireless internet has been acting up recently, which is why I’ve been writing this in Microsoft Word for so long. Hopefully I’ll be able to upload this to my journal soon, and sorry to those wondering what the heck has been going on in my life and I why they haven’t heard from me for so long. I’ve been staying up late writing significant events down just for you guys, the main reasons I created this journal in the first place. Keeping it real. Now go hug your BFF and feed a baby with this mush.
--------------------
So here I am, prone on the carpeted floor of my new room in Lancaster, California. I’m finally able to sit down - that is, lie down - and update my journal after two weeks of lightning-quick developments and hectic transition, thanks in part to a neighbor too lazy to put a WEP key on his wireless router. Since we just moved in, my room is bare and my stuff is all over the floor. I actually don’t mind it this way because I can make a mess and it would be perfectly excusable. Anyone who has been in my room and/or car/s can attest that I tend towards “disorganized unity” (but not at the “ecosystem” level, like someone I know). Jaco’s is worse though - you can’t see the floor through his clothes - and surprisingly, Praningja’s room is the most organized. Who would’ve thunk it?
We spent half the day today at Home Depot looking at blinds, shower doors and closet organizers. Three words: too many choices. There were so many brands, styles and customizations available that I ended up not getting anything for my room at all. I should really plan out my room before I put anything in it (yeah, I care). Praningja said he’ll create a Sims room in order to see the different layout, color and design schemes available. Blue floor and white walls or vice versa? Wood or vinyl blinds? Hanging shelves or an ordinary closet? Times like these are when I wish I had a woman with me, because that is what they are good for at. At least we were able to get the shower doors, which are standing in their packages near the bathroom doors, waiting to be installed by… me. Good luck, shower doors.
I’ve been getting the hang of getting around lately, with the streets and locations becoming familiar to me bit by bit. I went to Ralph’s to stock up on Coke Zero, Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng, Hunt’s Tapioca Snack Packs and good old Vitamin D milk. My grocery trip was made possible by the new (-ly rented) Dodge Neon, care of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which has been making a fair amount of profit recently because of us. This ad was brought to you by Evian mineral water, “Ang tubig na may lasa (The water with taste).”
--------------------
I’m finally listening to the Kala album that I bought just before I left for the States. Even before I heard the rest of the songs, I knew that Manila High would be a fulfilling and nostalgia-inducing sound trip after listening to the lead single Jeepney (no, not the one by Sponge Cola, please), and I was right. It boasts of that funktified, psychedelic, switch-tempo “Manila Sound” reminiscent of the excellent BossaManila by the Sound (a band which, I only now theorize, was probably formed for the sole purpose of producing the aforementioned album - as the music plays the band, indeed), which I also own. I only buy the albums of bands that actually have talent, so if you want the best OPM bang for your hard-earned buck - I mean, peso - check these guys out.
Actually I have no idea if these guys are still on the airwaves today. How is the local music scene going on anyway? Is the pogi-rock era over yet? Yes, there was a lot of cheese, but besides that, I must admit that OPM hit a creative stride this year, with music that we can actually be proud of. I hope it’s still the case today. I’m still kicking myself for leaving my Urbandub and Pedicab CDs in the Philippines without importing them into my iTunes.
Praningja is still engrossed in his book, and continues to stealthily sneak through the rooms and corridors of the house (and sometimes, through grocery aisles), hiding in dark spots and ambushing and killing imaginary sentries. Jaco is probably lying somewhere listening to his iPod, and my mom is probably listening to Simon and Garfunkel and Beatles over and over and over again while finishing the kitchen cleaning (we need new CDs, yes) or checking and making to-do lists. Ah yes, people will find ways to entertain themselves when the usual means aren’t present.
--------------------
It’s a trip “breaking in” a new house. There’s a certain excitement in filtering out the barest necessities and gathering them one by one, slowly and surely per day, from new-homeowner-friendly stores scattered around the area. It can be surprising to realize how much a house really needs, and these are things that we (I) usually take for granted and only look for at the very moments we need them or notice them gone. You begin to appreciate the value of a shower curtain when you find yourself sloshing about in bathwater outside the tub, or the value of a light bulb when you find yourself searching for a small screw in an unlit room, or the value of a soap dish when you find that there is no soap dish.
Thankfully, services in America are so well-organized that we were able to sign up for water supply, garbage collection, electricity and a mailbox in mere hours, through a few phone calls and just a little bit of driving using our good old Tercel. Scoff if you must but I still find myself delighted at the little things that constitute American living, like automatic garage doors, programmable thermostats, automatic dishwashers and a fireplace. Small conveniences like these remind me that I am indeed in a country other than good old Pinas. I think Pinas skipped these little things and went right ahead and built cell sites in every province. I believe they were built by the same guy whose bright idea was to build a Ferris wheel in Boracay. I love making no sense. Ha ha, I just said love making.
Sadly, “my” 2007 GMC Canyon was returned to Enterprise today (audience sigh). But on a brighter note, we welcome the newest additions to our appliance family: washer, dryer and fridge (audience cheer). No more recycling underwear and hanging milk in front of the a/c! And of course, what Pinoy household would be complete without a rice cooker and dispenser? Down with potatoes! Or not.
--------------------
You can put down August 30, 2006 as the day the Sisons - four out of five of them, at least - moved into their new house in Lancaster, California. And when I say house, that’s about all there was - a house. When we got in, after excitedly moving our stuff from the motel using our awesome GMC Canyon pickup truck, we said, “Now what?” and just stared at each other. And then I proceeded to “christen” the upstairs bathroom.
Also, it will go down in history books that the first appliance in this house was a coffee maker that my dad bought. Congratulations, Mr. Coffee! In addition, the first dinner was baked salmon and undercooked potatoes. Way to go ma! But honestly, I never knew my mom could actually cook. I guess she never really had to, except for that one time where she cooked corned beef long ago for some whiny kid who demanded corned beef because he didn’t like what was on the table. He never ate the corned beef though, that little Satan’s spawn. And lastly, the first night in the new house was spent in the master bedroom, on a pair of airbeds, just like the old school early 90s Xavierville days. Except the airbeds were mattresses. And we were cuter then. Now, we’re just semi-cute, like how a troll is semi-cute.
--------------------
We brought our dad to LAX after his short-lived stay in Cali. Actually, we just brought him to an airport express near Panorama City, a place that takes people by bus to LAX. Thing is, it looked like an actual airport, so that was pretty cool, and very convenient.
We got a good deal on a 2007 GMC Canyon rental, even if all we wanted was just any car that could take me to my job interview in downtown Los Angeles. I’ve never really driven a pickup before, and I must admit that driving a truck somehow makes you feel like you own the road. I like driving and showing off in big cars because I have a small… amount of experience in driving big cars.
Anyway, I guess I’m part of the LA workforce now, like, whatever, you know. Time to earn those big minimum wage bucks and buy me a pair of disposable sunglasses, which aren’t really meant to be disposable, in hip Chinatown! Oh yeah!
--------------------
We’re still living the Suite Life (how witty and original!) in Motel 6, Lancaster, while waiting for the escrow for the house. Although it has a television, it has no fridge, and thus we had to be content with hanging our “refrigeratorables” (is that even a word?) in front of the air-conditioning unit, which was my dad’s idea, by the way. He also bought a coffee maker for $2 at Ralph’s, which we also used for heating water for the noodles, blending fruit shakes and cooking beef stew. No such appliance, you say? You’re right. But it IS good for making coffee. And heating water.
Speaking of driving (huh?), we have been exploring the confusing streets of Palmdale and Lancaster, getting lost (many times) along the way. We’ve been using our trusty ’93 Toyota Tercel, Tita Chit’s ancient car whose engine we replaced so we could use it. It’s our first car here, and it does the job. You gotta learn how to handle this firestarter though ‘cause it accelerates like a jack rabbit on acid, 0-60 in 60 seconds, that’s crazy fast yo. We also rented a Dodge Grand Caravan, AKA the “Soccer Mom” car, which I liked, because I’m a soccer mom. It’s actually fun renting cars because we get to drive a lot of different types of vehicles in such a short period of time. It’s like, psh, I don’t like this one, next! Bring me a Kia Pride this time and make it snappy!
Little by little we’ve been able to discover places where we can eat, buy stuff for the house and for ourselves, and basically just places where we can hang out. I was happy to find that my new favorite store, Barnes and Noble, was here (geek!). But really, who wouldn’t enjoy being in a store with books and books of information on just about anything? And it’s free, since you can read in the store all day! And there’s a music section where you can scan and sample the albums! I went with my brothers, and we got so caught up in the books so much that we spent the whole afternoon there. I was in the novels and humor sections alternately (Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox, check it out), Jaco was reading books on romance and relationships, and Carlo, for some reason, was suddenly obsessed with ninjas and assassins. He bought a book on ninjas and then later at the motel, he would start flailing his nunchucks around (they’re illegal in California, by the way), meditating and lecturing us on the ninja code. It got so out of hand that Jaco and I decided to give him a new nickname, which combined his newfound affinity to that Japanese cultural icon, the slight paranoia that has been part of his behavior ever since (i.e. smelling his food before eating it) and of course, his ancestry: The Great Brown Praningja! Welcome to the family, Praningja-san! Herro, RaRa!
--------------------
to be continued... backwards
touching upon
- the first few days in Motel 6
- my dad's birthday week in California
- 2 weddings in 1 weekend in San Diego
- my dad's birthday celebration in the Bautista house
- my first Amazon.com purchase
- the cue to switch "venues" (i.e. move to Lancaster and thank the Bautista family)
- the sweet fashion show gig and Steve's model dilemma