Of Carnival Games and Prizes

I loooooove carnival games.

Probably since it’s one of the happy childhood memories I have. I remember dad bringing me to places like Payanig sa Pasig and Star City to exclusively play games like these. I would end up bringing home a bag of stuffed toys that my folks would give out to other people.

I also love that crane thingie machine. Those who have been with me at Gurnee and Kenosha (namely Ria, Che, Lianne, Rico and Allan) would know. That one started with my fascination with the “UFO Catcher” game which is commonly found in arcades here in Manila. The US version uses the 3 fingered claw which took me a while to get the hang of.

I love these games and I wouldn’t mind spending on them. Honestly I hate it when I couldn’t win a game I know I can win (and have won before). Take those basketball free throws at 6 flags. Back home, my free throw % stat (before I got hurt) was 92%. I know hey, even after 6 months of rust I still could make one right? wrong. I couldn’t get one there. Rats! Same story at Universal studios which is now a mid range jumper… not really my specialty but hey, they ran that play for me when I moved to shooting guard.

The most important carnival game in my life? It was in this fair in Pomona, California. The game was simple enough. Throw a wiffle ball off a board and into a basket. I tried that in 6 flags and it was impossible… well… until I studied it in Pomona. The trick was simple. Throw it with reverse spin, at the right target with the right speed and it falls all the time (as in all the time) into the basket.

How much was the game? 2 bucks for a ball. 5 bucks for three. Get one into the basket and get the big prize. Get two and get the bigger prize. Sounds easy?

I got one with the first five balls I threw. Too easy. But I’m greedy… I wanted the bigger prize. I dunno… for some reason I choked as I was missing badly. It was until I reached my spending threshold when I had to give it up.

After getting the 1st ball in, I spent 40 bucks getting the 2nd one and failed. Damn ball.

I ended up with the big prize which was…

I gave it to my cousin. No way I was going home with it (since it was as big as my suitcase!). I still wanted to get the bigger prize, maybe in the future… maybe if it comes up again. I really wouldn’t mind spending 40 bucks more for getting just one of 24 balls into a basketball in a game I know how to win in.

This game set my records for “most money spent in”, “biggest prize”, “biggest crowd drawn”, “biggest cheering squad”, and ironically, “worst choke performances all time”.

The bigger prize?

An Xbox.

The Flight Home

Probably the one single day in the US that I regretted that I had a good night sleep. You see, I never sleep the night before that 17 year flight (yea, it really feels that long) from RP to US and back and I always sleep through the whole thing except when the "Chicken or fish" lady comes by.

The flight home was pretty dull. My plane seat was in the waaaaaaaaaay back and beside me was this skinny girl who slept through the whole flight with her mouth open. She looked like an extra from some horror movie.

In flight movie? Hmmm… I think there was one. I think it was the one with Amanda Bynes with her being “the man”. I think there was a screen somewhere. Here’s the view from my seat:

See my point? The worst part was when he placed his pillow behind his head. Sheesh…

So how did I amuse myself?

Sudoku books. It was no fun solving these alone though L I breezed through the whole “easy” section of the book but I stopped when I messed up one. Dang.

My iPod. I loaded mine with videos… only to find out these were all deleted probably when I synched it before leaving. Oh well.

My bathroom reader book of useless trivia. Hey, finally a use for this book! The entries are short enough to give you frequent eye breaks but long enough to keep you interested.

Since I couldn’t watch the movie from where I was sitting, it was a good thing that the one beside ms zombie-i-sleep-with-my-mouth-open had a portable DVD player. The problem was, he was watching some Japanese action flick. Can’t relate. :-/

Nothing really interesting happened until I arrived at NAIA. The luggage carousel was one of the things that made me realize I was already in the Philippines (well, that and the big “welcome to the Philippines sign”). The carousel was loaded with those big ol’ boxes with 6 sides labeled and heavily taped (the whole thing was big block of duct tape) and I was able to use my boxing out skills I learned during my basketball days.

Outside, the air was warm, the exhaust fumes were overwhelming, people were rude and the traffic was ridiculous. On my way home, I can’t help but notice that Manny Pacquiao is in almost all billboards. Wow! The last straw: Pacquiao the movie (starring Jericho Rosales).

Welcome back, Arn!

It’s Nastier the Second Time

Mum was asleep in her room. The door opened and the light from the outside room woke her up. Then entered this person whose silhouette placed a huge question mark on top of her head.

You could see it coming.

“Quack.”

Mom was screaming. So was dad… like a little school girl.

Yup!

I pulled off another surprise trip home. =) Glad to be back!

Five Corporate Lessons

Corporate Lesson 1

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel." After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 dollars and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?" "It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies. "Great!" the husband says, "Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"

Moral of the story: - If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position toprevent avoidable exposure.

Corporate Lesson 2

A priest offered a lift to a Nun. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak." Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story: - If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Corporate Lesson 3

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager arewalking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish." "Me first! Me first!" says the admin. clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world." Poof! She's gone. "Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life." Poof! He's gone. "OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story: - Always let your boss have the first say.

Corporate Lesson 4

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A rabbit asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?" The crow answered: - "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. A fox jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story: - To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very high up.

Corporate Lesson 5

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able toget to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, but I haven't got the energy." "Well, why don't you nibble on my droppings?" replied the bull. "They're packed with nutrients." The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.

Moral of the story: - Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.