Of Road Trips, Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance

Tinley Park, IL.

A village south of Chicago and venue for the Projekt Revolution tour which includes Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Placebo and Taking Back Sunday. There’s also what’s their name and something something but well, I’m not a big time rocker so I wouldn’t know.

I’ll be honest, I love Linkin Park but only because of their first album, Hybrid Theory. My Chemical Romance? I like their songs “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “Famous Last Words”. I’ve already seen Taking Back Sunday in Chicago’s House of Blues a year ago.

I decided to go anyway. After a long week of work, I needed a break badly. Anywhere without a laptop should be ok for me.

Off to Tinley Park we went via 2 cars – one rented and Vince’s blue bullet.

I was sitting in the backseat just observing the south side of Chicago when I suddenly became dizzy and went out like a light. Guess that’s what 3 hours worth of sleep would do to you.

We arrived at the venue where the opening bands were already playing. The other went around to watch while Feliz, Louvre and I looked for concert shirts.


30 bucks for a shirt?!? You mean the shirt is more expensive than my ticket?!?

We arrived there at around 1pm. The main bands don’t play until around 6pm. So much time to waste…

Things I observed:

- Plenty of rocker weirdos. Believe me, for me to call you a weirdo means you’re really really really weird.
- People really lined up to buy the shirts! Some were spending almost 200 dollars for Projekt Revolution merchandise. They’re weird but they’re rich weirdos.
- I bought myself a pretzel which was covered with white sprinkle dots. It turns out that those “dots” were chunks of salt and the whole thing just tasted terrible. Worst pretzel ever.
- The “F” word is mentioned in every sentence throughout the event and not just by the bands but everyone there. “I’d like a f*ng pizza”. “Ok, that’s 8 f*ng dollars.” “Here you f*ng go”. “thank you, have a f*ng day”.

At last the main stage was open and we camped on the lawn. The big bands were now playing. People were going wild in the mosh pit. Everyone else was either drinking, smoking and having fun. As for me?

I was asleep on the lawn.

I woke up one time then someone told me that Taking Back Sunday was already playing. I looked at the stage and thought I’ve already seen them and went back to sleep. Wheee… what fun I was having.


The view from the lawn

I only woke up when My Chemical Romance started playing. They have great pyrotechnics and the artwork behind the band was stunning. Am I really getting that old? I go to a rock concert to sleep. I didn’t drink any beer, I didn’t really listen to the music and I simply observe the stage props more. Maybe I’m losing it.


Me and RJ while waiting for Linkin Park

Linkin Park was the best though I only recognize the songs from Hybrid Theory. I like their new songs where Chester just screams "yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh" and "oooooooooooooooohhhhhh". Come to think of it, all Linkin Park songs have that. I like it anyway.

Overall I really had a great time. 10 hours straight with no thoughts of work? Believe me, sometimes that’s all I ask.


er... di ko sila kilala...

The Red Sox Series – Day 2

The game was at 2pm but I had to work in the morning. It was pretty important work and around 9am, I predicted around 40% chance to make the game. While I could ditch everything and come up with an excuse, well, I don’t do things like that. 12 noon came and I was monitoring a batch run. There were 8 jobs that need to be completed and I could only leave if and only if all those complete in time.

For an hour, I waited and waited for this progress bar and at 1pm, it was finally done. The moment I saw the word “success”, I took a bath and from the bathroom, my clothes were waiting for me in front of the door since I laid them down on the floor in the proper order so I can literally jump into my clothes.

I still had my gear from last night but I dumped the umbrella (it wasn't raining anymore) and I brought my trusty Nikon DSLR camera. The same blur came out of the backdoors but instead of the red line, it made a turn and dropped by Popeyes. I was hungry. I run fast but I need to eat something first.

This weekend was about facing plenty of problems but lady luck has really supported me big time. I ate three pieces of chicken tenders and while eating, a chunk of ranch dressing fell on my shirt. IT made a mess and I didn’t have time to go home and chance. I cleaned it with a tissue paper and suddenly, I didn’t realize the shirt I was wearing.

I had it on backwards. I flipped it inside out and the stain was gone.

From Popeyes, I walked to the red line (sorry, I can’t “blur” with a tummy full of chicken tenders) and faced the same Red Sox crowd, heard the same Red Sox cheer, took the train but ended up in a different seat as I was now near right field.

I took tons of pictures using my camera and my 200mm zoom lens. I didn’t take plenty of videos and I was able to observe the game and the place more.

- On TV, after innings, we end up with commercials making me think, what do they do in between inning?. The players play catch. Videos are played on the screen and the fans get food (except those who had a big chicken meal on the way to the park).
- I had a good view of the Red Sox bullpen (the bench for pitchers). One inning they came out and were stretching together like those aerobics shows in the morning.
- I was sitting by White Sox fans who were extremely frustrated because the home team was making plenty of stupid mistakes.

After the game, I stayed longer to take pictures of the park – the diamond, the empty seats, the view of Chicago downtown. It was another great day however I had to run back for work since I had a conference call setup. :-S The perfect timeout on a busy weekend =)

"Your fly is open!"

The view from my seat

The Sox bullpen

Where's Waldo?

For some reason I was heavily distracted by a Big Mac, Fries and Nuggets racing

Boston vs Chicago!

Empty seats after the game

We believe!

The diamond after the game

The Red Sox Series – Day 1

Just great. My Red Sox series is on the weekend when I expect to have the heaviest workload throughout my stay in Chicago. I am a big fan but I am a professional – if I have to miss these games because I had work to do so be it but as long as I can go and there’s nothing important going on anyway, I’m going.

Friday. With the help of Feliz, I was able to shake off work early. I left the office and ran home to change, drop off my laptop and prepare my camera. There was a 50% chance of rain so I had to bring an umbrella. The game was at 7:00pm. 6:30pm I was still in my apartment. 6:31pm, the backdoors of our apartments opened and a blur came out running towards the Red Line trains over at Clark and Lake street. Down in the subway, it was like being in Boston. Probably 70% of the people were wearing Boston Red Sox shirts and jerseys. 20% were wearing the local White Sox jerseys. 9% were wearing normal clothes and 1% didn’t have any shirts on.

Then came the familiar roar of the red line train which was followed by cheering of the people with a “Let’s Go Red Sox” chant. I saw the train’s headlight then when it slowed down, it was like back in Manila again – it was full. I skipped the train and went on the next one which had a few seats left.

A few stations later, there was this old woman who stepped in and was crushed by the standing people. I gave up my seat and got myself crushed. The price of being a gentleman.

35th / Sox Station. The red line stopped and I jumped out only to be greeted by a swarm of red who clogged up the escalators and stairs. Welcome to the US Cellular field – home of the Chicago White Sox! I made one quick check where my seat was and I was able to find it easily. Good, I only missed a few at bats and it was still scoreless.

Things I observed:
- My seat was in the “500 section” which was the highest part of the park. I was directly behind home plate and I was still able to enjoy the game.
- Food were priced like Disney, 4.50 dollars for a hotdog? 6 dollars for a beer?
- There were more Red Sox fans in the crowd than White Sox fans.
- It wasn’t a sold out event and so seat numbers are merely suggestions. Sit where you like. If someone flashes you a ticket and they’re supposed to be there, just move to the next best seat.
- Unlike NBA games which take 2 hours to finish, baseball takes 3 – 4 hours with plenty of breaks and delays. Now I understand why people who watch baseball games but are not fans get bored easily.
- People don’t come in for the 1st inning. The stadium was packed only around the 3rd inning and most already left after the 8th.
- There was a scoreboard on the right side which showed the Yankees losing.

I stayed until the end of the game which was already past 10. I waited for the crowd to leave while I take pictures and when I stood up, the lights went out and it was pitch dark. What happened?!? Are they locking me in? Suddenly, something shot up the air and exploded. There was a fireworks display and I stayed even longer to see it. It was cool.

I took the train back home and went to Portillo’s. It has been a great day, might as well finish it with style. I entered and there was something new in their menu called a “Big Beef” which was Italian Beef but 2x longer. I checked my pocket and I had enough money to order it (plus a side order of fries).

What a day. =)

The Red Sox Series – Day 0

I’m a Boston Red Sox fan.

“So what?” you ask? Well, it helps if you’ve watched “Fever Pitch” starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. I’m a diehard Fenway Faithful.

I keep track of their games, check who’s pitching today, what updates did they do on their roster, who’s injured, who’s hot and where they are in the standings. Being a Red Sox fan means of course I automatically dislike the Yankees.

I joined the Red Sox Nation BEFORE they won the whole thing in 2004. Yes, I was cheering them on in 2003 and yes I wanted them to take Pedro out early and yes it was a very heartbreaking loss.

On my calendar, 4 dates are circled in red. Finally, after two years of missing them in the US, the Red Sox are coming back here to Chicago to face the hometown Chicago White Sox. The first step is obtaining the tickets, which surprisingly, thanks to Ria (who taught me stubhub a year ago), was extremely easy.

I got myself tickets for three out of the four games. I have no idea but for some reason, the cheapest ticket for the 1st game was 60 dollars plus shipping which was way beyond out of my budget. I love my Sox but I can’t throw away money just like that.

I’m excited to go to the games however, I can’t help but miss Jaye more. She’s not into baseball but she’s into the Red Sox mainly because of me. She knows from my face whether the Sox lost (and/or the Yankees won) and she knows I’ll never miss Sox – Yankees games on TV.

Friendly people are common. Understanding people are somewhat rare. Supportive people, especially if it’s nothing for most but means the world to you are gems. Thinking about the fact that I have someone who has those traits (and more) makes me feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world

The Photographer

So many things I want to do in my life.

video editor… check
teacher… check
basketball coach… check
basketball manager… check
software engineer… check
cook… judges? Hmmm… sige na, check

Now meet Arn the photographer. I just re-entered the field of photography (I used to do dark room film processing before when I was in school) however there’s still so much I need to learn.

I covered my first event as a freelance photographer – Margaret’s 1st birthday. Click here to see the pictures I took. No, they’re not of pro quality as I’m still a student of this art so don’t expect much.

http://arnoldrocks.multiply.com/photos/album/5/Margarets_Birthday

How much did I charge for this? A plate of lechon and pansit. I also received some crab rangoons for tip. =)

Of Happy Places

Toys R Us always had a special place in my heart. I remember back when I was a kid when the kid next door whose family frequented the US always had new and imported toys. He said all these came from a store called “Toys R Us” and I’ve always felt that it was this one magical building where all kinds of toys were made and sold.

I carried that feeling of mine for years until finally I was able to visit a real Toys R Us store in Hong Kong. Since we were on a budget, I remember buying two toys – a real microscope and a sea monkeys set. I was probably the happiest kid in the world having been able to visit the store and confirming that it’s not a mythical place after all.

A happy happy place.



One rainy afternoon here in Chicago, Louvre, Feliz and I dropped by the nearest Toys R Us store. After hours of roaming around inside, Feliz and I were done while Louvre was scouring the Thomas and Friends boxes for a good train set. In that section, there was an assembled Thomas and Friends set where a kid was playing. I sat down and thought that this was Toys R Us was all about – happy feelings. The kid was having so much fun playing with this huge train set. Louvre was happily rummaging through different boxes trying to find the ones he knows his kid would love (and there’s no greater joy to a dad than making his son happy). Feliz was sitting down and hugging the stuffed unicorn she picked out. Me? I was there sitting on the other side just enjoying this place and having no thoughts of work or problems. Heck, even my support phone couldn’t get a signal inside the store. What a place!

Like so many years ago, I’m still on a budget but I got myself my two toys. I wanted something that (1) would make me think but not stressed and (2) solved life’s tough decisions.

Cooking with Arn X

I miss home cooked Filipino meals. There’s an eat all you can Filipino buffet here along Clark street called “Little Quiapo” where you can eat inihaw na baboy and crispy pata until your heart jumps out and slaps your face.

I don’t eat there much though. It lacks that home feel since their meals taste more like cafeteria food. Besides, that restaurant is located between two cemeteries and it’s not a good location to chow down tons of Crispy Pata.

I want a home cooked Filipino meal and nothing says that more than...

Tapsilog

The famous Filipino food portmanteau. It’s the Filipino equivalent of America’s ham and eggs. It’s basically tapa (fried marinated beef), sinangag (garlic rice), itlog (egg) with atchara (pickled papaya), sliced tomatoes and vinegar with soy sauce and chopped onions. *drool* Oh, for the eggs, I like mine sunny side up and really runny. Mmmm!

Enter Arn – the sous (maryosep) chef.

I went to the market and picked out the meat. There was this woman there who was smelling, poking and thoroughly analyzing (as if there was something printed in the meat) the meat. I don’t know anything about determining if it’s good meat or not. I walked by the meat section, analyzed the price tags, grabbed the cheapest meat and walked away. What cut is it? Is it fresh? Is it proper for tapa? Heck, I have no idea. Who cares? I only have a few dollars with me so I grabbed the cheapest one. Life is simple nga diba?

Back home I sliced up the beef and marinated it in soy sauce, garlic, pepper, salt, sugar, etc then left it in the fridge overnight.

The next day, I cooked up half the batch. I fried up an egg and pan fried the rice with garlic and pepper. The egg was cooked nicely. The rice was perfect and the beef, well, it was too black to tell if it’s burned or not anyway.

Next, the taste test. I took a bite and there was silence. I chewed and swallowed and there was still silence. I looked out the window and I saw a pig flying around.

Arn burning food or messing it up is pretty normal. Arn preparing a decent meal is unusual is rare but not surprising. Arn cooking a great meal? Unheard of.

The tapa tasted great. It was tangy just the way I want it. It was even better than the tapa I eat at Goodah! and this can beat the crap out of the fast food tapa meals back home. I’ll even say this was the best tapa I’ve ever had. The eggs are just the way I like it - crispy edges but runny in the middle. It was so good it felt weird because I’m used to the overcooked, underseasoned mess I always have for lunch.



Maybe it's about time the cooking gods gave me a break right?

A Day Without Perfect Vision

Ontario and State street. Here’s a guy walking with big badass sunglasses. He’s walking normally but really he can’t see much as everything to him is a blur. He walks and walks until he rams his right shoulder into a bus stop. People were looking at this weird fellow as he dusts off his shirt and continued the long painful way home.

If you're a long time reader, no need to introduce the guy. First time reader? Meet Arn.

Imagine a day with severely blurry vision. Better yet, imagine a day where you have to wear your friend’s thick eyeglasses.

I had my eye checked at the Northwestern Hospital over at St. Clair and they dilated my eyes. It was the first time I had that type of eye exam and I initially thought it will just make me light sensitive. Wrong! Actually, after the exam, I could take the light by squinting. What made my day interesting was how my vision got blurry for most of the day.

From the hospital, they gave me these weird sunglasses. They looked hideous, but then they did the job. I looked like a fat dragonfly.

Hey, at least it did the job.

I walked home and as I mentioned, I accidentally rammed my right shoulder into a bus stop while turning. Ouch! Everything was a big blurry blob though I was able to read big print like store and building names. What I couldn’t read was small print like my cell phone or newsprint. Back home, I left my computer on but I have no idea what’s on it. I think someone IM’d me in MSN and I think that’s my outlook open but I couldn’t read anything

I was in no condition to work. I know I’m a shock trooper but in this case I have no choice here but to rest, stay home and take the day off.

So how do I call my manager? I can’t recognize anything from my phone. I don’t have her number memorized.

I gave my roomie my phone but he says her phone number wasn’t there. I couldn’t send even send emails or IM’s. Ugh! I walked all the way to the office to tell her I was pretty much useless for the day. Feliz was kind enough to walk me home and made sure I wouldn’t fall into the Chicago river. Back home though I couldn’t watch TV or surf the Internet.

Interesting day. Not bad. Interesting is more like it.

I started to get my vison back after lunch but then it gave me a terrible headache because it wasn’t 100% yet and it was like reading underwater. I decided to wait until my vision is completely back before doing any reading.

Without perfect vision, I thought my other senses would be improved. In my case, I just got hungry and ate and ate and ate. Daredevil lost his eyesight and developed superhuman hearing. I got blurry vision and it just made me hungry. Life’s not fair.

CeeJay, Feliz and Arn in Chicago and Oak Park

For all those requesting that I post more pictures from Chi-town -->

http://arnoldrocks.multiply.com/photos/album/4

Enjoy!

Me and Nikki

One freaky day when we had matching pants, shirts and tummies.



... then again she's carrying baby Logan while I'm carrying Panda Express. :P

Exploring Oak Park

Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace and Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio. Two landmarks associated to two famous Americans located in Oak Park, Illinois. Hemingway was a writer while Wright was an architect both considered one of the greatest during their time.

I took CeeJay and Feliz to Oak Park via train to see these two landmarks. We wanted to do something different and see other areas near Chicago (and well, we were low on funds). Oak Park is comparable to Makati’s Forbes Park. In a word - “sosyal”. The houses all look good, it’s an obvious rich neighborhood and all the people are nice. We took a stroll across downtown Oak Park until we reached Hemingway’s birthplace. A few more blocks and we reached the home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright. We took plenty of pictures and enjoyed just walking around the neighborhood.


Ernest Hemingway's birthplace


Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio

Can’t help but compare Pinoy houses and American houses. American houses have:
- a front yard with garden
- a driveway and a garage
- a mailbox with the red mailbox flag
- a backyard
- picket fences (for some).

Pinoy houses have:
- a crude basketball court (or just the rim)
- No mailboxes (if there was one, mailboxes are not used my mailmen anyway... IF they managed to correctly deliver your letter)
- A small grass patch (for some)
- 10 feet high bakod with…
- Broken glass on top of the bakod -- high tech way for warding off intruders.
- A BaGua mirror (despite the fact that they’re Catholics).
- An old palaspas that was there since Ramos was in office.

Cooking with Arnold IX

Post after post after post of kitchen tragedies (see my “Cooking with Arnold” series in the history), a good Samaritan has come to my aid all the way from Madrid, Spain.

Meet Cherina from the Application Integration team. Web server wizard. She posted some ridiculously easy recipes on her site specifically for me to try. If she went through all this trouble posting it for me, I might as well give these a try. Besides, going through the recipe instructions, these things will be easy. There’s no way anyone can mess these up.

But then again, I’m the rice burning, potato mashing, pancake smoking, Coke using chef slash arsonist. And oh, I make you have allergies too.

“Gazpechas”

The ingredients are listed in Cher’s site.

I cleaned and chopped up the veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, onion and green pepper). I’m not a veggie person and there so many things yet for me to learn about vegetables.

Do you take out the tomato seeds? (I didn’t)
How do you cut green pepper? (I chopped it in half sending seeds flying in every irection)
Do you peel cucumbers? (I didn’t)
Do you take out cucumber seeds? (I didn’t)





I took out a blender, pureed the veggies then realized that I went through all the trouble chopping them all up and end up pureeing them anyway. D’oh! The concoction turned brown. It doesn’t look good. It smelled like freshly cut grass. I added the seasonings (olive oil, salt, pepper, vinegar, water), stirred it and stared at it. It looks horrible. I placed some plastic wrap over it then left it in the fridge to cool.



The next day, Feliz was over for lunch. I was too cowardly to taste this and I brought in someone else. I took out the bowl from the fridge and removed the plastic. Feliz saw it and jumped up and down “Wow! KARE KARE!”

An angel and a devil appeared on my left and right shoulder, both of them waving their hands and shouting “We know what you’re thinking! Don’t do it! Don’t do it!”. I sighed but agreed.

I told Feliz it was actually a cold veggie like soup. I took out a small spoon and I asked her to taste it. It felt like I was pushing a lamb into a lion's cage. Before she could approach the bowl, I took the spoon and mixed the bowl with it. I took a small portion and slowly brought it to my lips. My hands were shaking. I was so nervous I dropped the spoon which bubbled to the bottom. With Feliz and Louvre laughing horribly in the background I took out another spoon, closed my eyes and tasted the damned thing.

It tasted just like that… damned.

I ran to the sink and spat it out. I took the bowl and dumped its contents into the garbage disposal. I was still doing some spitting sounds because I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth. On the way out, I picked up a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream just to remove the awful taste.

Gazpechas… Gazpacho na lasang…

Not Your Ordinary Sky

I looked up one day to see the sky and took a deep deep breath. I notice that the sky was blue, purple, pink and yellow.



Wow, I never thought the sky would ever look so gay.

Of Families and Happy Memories

When a certain group of friends form a special bond, they become family. It may not be as funny or as exciting as Joey, Phoebe, Monica, Chandler, Rachel and Ross but a family is a family.

I have a family.

We spend the whole day together and shared stories about each other. We had breakfast at their place and had dinner at my place. They told me things about their lives and I shared them my own. I learned a lot from them. They learned a lot from me. I remember telling them about Jaye, how much I love her and how much I missed her and they helped me complete my Debbie project – my big surprise for Jaye.

It was October 2006. I was flying home to Manila being the first person to leave. Before leaving, we had a serious moment and I shared that I was sad because things will never be the same again. This is the way this part of our lives go. They countered that nothing will change and I nodded my head not to agree but because I knew none of them have walked this path before. I had. None of them understood but I want them to continue on with positive thoughts. I don’t have to drag them down didn’t I?

Almost a year has passed now. All but one has flown back to Manila. One moved to another company. One moved to another country. One got married. One will be married later this year. Lorna and I were the only ones left in Chicago and when she flew home, everything pretty much ended there. Just like I predicted, things were never the same again. The way the cards have been shuffled, it will never be.

I have a family… well… had a family. I still have them as friends, but family, I don’t think so.

I miss everyone. Everything we did. Everything we shared. Every single detail. They all have moved on. I have moved on too as I have my better half now and a million plans.

Sad? Yep.

Regret? None at all.

Some people, even if they only appear in a chapter or at least a page in our life can make a big difference. In the end, it's not how long they appear or how many times they are mentioned but it's how much they made you what you are today.

Of Monday Mornings

*Beep beep* goes my alarm.

I woke up on time (not too early, not too late) but I was still groggy. After taking a bath, I put on my black dress pants and a gray striped shirt. I wore my black belt and my black socks, brushed my teeth, combed my hair and did my daily muscle flexes in front of the mirror (ala Hulk Hogan).

I chucked my laptop into my bag, grabbed everything else I would need in the office and took my iPod from my drawer. I also grabbed my sunglasses since it was a sunny day. I put on my black shoes, picked up my laptop backpack and walked to work – looking cool with my iPod and my sunglasses.

I arrived in the office, placed my bag on the table, removed my iPod and sunglasses and realized…

I grabbed my brown shoes by mistake. Arnold namaaaaan…

Lesson: Get completely dressed first before putting on your sunglasses.

Cooking with Arnold VIII

“Mystery Shrimp”

Sunday dinner… Louvre (my roommate) and I scoured through the freezer and saw some frozen shrimp. They’re already prepared and seasoned so you just pop them in the microwave and it will be ready to eat in minutes. This had garlic and butter seasoning. Mmmm shrimp with butter and garlic. I love shrimp. Louvre loves shrimp. We’re both hungry yet we were staring at the frozen bag of shrimp deciding what to do.

There’s no expiration date.

So technically, it’s not expired right? We inherited this from the previous tenants in the apartment. The problem is that when we cleaned out the freezer, we saw some fresh meat and yet we saw some super expired products as well. We saw sausages and chicken breasts that expired last December, 2006. Yuk! I think if we take it out the freezer, mushrooms would grow on it.

We threw those out but the shrimps were really intriguing. I opened the bag and took a quick whiff. It smelled like garlic and herbs - nothing funky. We decided to go with it. I have some vinegar and milk on stand by just in case.

Instead of using the microwave, I fried up the shrimps over a stove. I added some butter, pepper and a little salt and after a few minutes the shrimps were ready. I transferred the shrimps to a serving dish and placed it on the dinner table.



I turned off the heat but since we were using an electric stove, the butter in the pan continued cooking then started to turn black. Well, I know when I’m cooking something is meant to burn. It’s my curse I guess.

The shrimps gave out an intoxicating smell of garlic and butter. I turned off the vents in the apartment to preserve it. Mmmmm! We sat down and waited who will take the first bite. Louvre was the brave soul. He said it was good… very good even. I took a curious bite and didn’t taste anything sour (the sign that this is one bad bad shrimp).

We devoured the entire plate of shrimps then watched TV. The next hour will tell us if gambling with these mystery shrimps paid off.

It didn’t.

Louvre started to get itchy. (uh oh). He had rashes. (UH OH). I ran downstairs and bought some Antihistamine from 7-11. He said he didn’t know he had an allergic reaction to shrimp but then again, he said he had never eaten this much shrimp in his life.

Oh great, now when I cook not only do I have to keep a fire extinguisher ready, now I have to hand out waivers too?

The Devil, the Angel and 200 dollars

I was walking home from Borders and this guy walking opposite where I was going reached for his wallet causing a bundle of bills fell from his pocket. It was a thick wad with lots of twenties. He didn’t notice he was now short around 200 dollars and was nonchalantly walking away.

What do I do? The devil and an angel appeared on my shoulder. He doesn’t look rich so I think he needs this money. I’m in full “tipid” mode and 200 dollars will certainly help me out. It took me half a second to think and another 3 seconds to translate what I was going to say in English then I told the guy, “Hey buddy, you dropped something.” while pointing to the bills. “Oh Sh*t!!!” he screamed and ran back to pick up his money. He ran towards me and thanked me.

The rest of my walk home felt good.

I always have these angel-devil moments. Unlike others though, my angel and my devil always work on a compromise and they’re pretty good friends, sometimes even agreeing 100% on certain situations. Like one time in Aurora, I picked up a pair of Reebok sneakers which were on super sale. The devil told me to buy it since it looked good and I need a second pair of shoes. Angel told me that it was a good deal since it was just 20 bucks – pretty cheap for walking shoes this good then they gave each other a high five. *apir!*

In this case, devil wanted me to call the guy’s attention but if he offers something, take it. I’m not evil but I’m not a saint either.

Nope, the guy didn't offer anything. Did I regret what I did? 200 dollars din yun. Nah, I did the right thing and I know i would feel worse if I took it.

What if he dropped 500 dollars worth of bills instead of 200 dollars? Hmmm... probably I would still call his attention and tell him he dropped something...

...pero Tagalog. :P

Back to a Familiar Place

1.2 miles.

That’s 6,336 feet.

That’s how far my apartment is from the office. I know some of you might be saying that you walk this far everyday too and is not a big deal… or that “yung lolo ko 10 miles nga nilalakad e”. If you walk this far everyday then good for you. In my case however, it is a very big deal because

- I have to drag a laptop with me
- Both the soles in my dress shoes are worn out (so it’s like wearing leather sandals)
- I’m not an athlete (so 1.2 miles is really faaaaaaaaaar for me)

I only got used to the walking after a week. Most of the time it’s straight to bed or the couch (then watch ESPN) for me.

You might comment “Pero at least Chicago downtown naman yan. Ok environment.”

True. However, one thing about Manila is that you never ever bother knowing what the weather is like for that day. Manila is either hot or rainy. A quick peek out the window and the common question is “uulan ba?”. That’s it. It takes weeks before the weather changes.

Like I posted before, Chicago weather is weird. It’s fickle. One day it’s too cold (like Baguio weather). One day it’s too hot (anywhere else other than Baguio). One day it would be so hot in the morning then it would rain in the evening. There’s also the wind. Going to the office, my hair is combed to the left. Going home it’s combed to the right. When I go out for lunch it’s split in the middle. I don’t even bring a brush anymore. Why bother? It will get messed up anyway. Pero at least I can let the hair just go through my hair then I’ll move in slow motion (ala Prince Charming in Shrek). The weather + the wind + 2.4 miles + being fat = ugh... i just wanna sleep.

This is why I’m happy this week that we moved to a new apartment. My old apartment. It’s just a few blocks away from the office and I’m more familiar with the nearby buildings. Singha is just downstairs. There’s a 7-11 and a CVS store. There’s a 24 hour McDonald’s and Hooters a few more blocks away. I’m also more used to shopping at Jewel than Dominick’s.

Hay… Sterling... happy to be back. Memories…

Chicago Short Stories

Penang

One time we had lunch at this Malaysian restaurant called Penang which is located in the heart of Chinatown. The only thing more unusual than a Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown was the person I saw inside:

I think he's lost.

and oh, another thing...

Sinong niloko mo? Lamb ka dyan...

The Taste of Chicago

It’s a big food fair over at Grant Park. I went there with my monopod and DSLR camera but didn’t have a good time. Ugh. Honestly, it was the worst event I’ve been to here in Chicago. I’ve never seen a place so dirty, smelly, and overflowing with people… and I’m from Manila.

Aurora!

The traditional shopping place. We took Jude to Aurora for his last major shopping weekend. I missed this place not for the stores but for the memories...

Our after shopping photo

The Monopod

I was walking along Wacker drive when I saw this dude taking a picture of the Marina City Towers. He had a DSLR camera with a tripod, attached flash, lens hood, and more gizmos I have never seen in my life. My camera has a lens cap and a filter and that’s it. Before going to the Taste of Chicago event, I came up with a monopod.

Bought it from the camera shop? Nah. Look closely.

It’s a broom handle, a Velcro strap and a small table tripod. Eat your heart out McGyver, bet you couldn’t have thought of that.

Cooking with Arnold VII

"Attempted Adobo”

I knew I had to cook this sooner or later so why delay the inevitable? Will I burn the chicken? Will I mess it up? Read on.

Dinner started with a trip to Dominick’s (a grocery 2 blocks away). I picked up some chicken drumsticks, pepper grinder, Datu Puti suka, Silver Swan soy sauce (yup, they have it here) and bay leaves.

Let’s start by preparing the ingredients. I peeled and chopped garlic then washed and salted the chickens. I heated a saucepot and placed a generous portion of canola oil. Realizing that the chicken drumsticks won’t fit in the pot, I transferred the oil into a pan and sautéed the garlic. Smart!

The garlic turned dark brown. Uh oh… Classic Arnold.

I quickly put in the chickens and lowered the heat. After a few minutes, the chicken turned… yellow? Do chickens really turn yellow?

While the chickens were cooking, I prepared the pot where the chickens were supposed to be frying. I put in the vinegar, soy sauce, water, bay leaves and ground pepper. Now comes the first glitch of the night.

I bought the peppercorn with an attached grinder. This way I can have both ground pepper and whole peppercorns. The problem is that the grinder is attached permanently which means I can only grind the pepper to get them out. This means… no whole peppers. I ground some extra pepper to compensate. Does it work like that?

Oh no… the garlic is really getting burned! I placed the chickens, the burnt garlic and the cooking oil into the pot, covered it and prayed.

It doesn’t look like adobo. I’m worried.

After 10 minutes, I know I’m not supposed to peek but I’m reaaally curious. It still didn’t look anything like adobo. I think I better run to McDonald’s before they close.

After 35 minutes, I uncovered the pot and… my adobo looks like kare kare! Adobo is supposed to look dark brown right? Mine is light brown. I tasted the sauce and it was very sour… it tasted like sinigang!

I turned off the heat and started thinking of a way to fix this. The sauce needs to be dark and I need to counter the sour taste. This means I need something dark and something… sweet. I stood up and walked around, checked the cabinets, checked the fridge… dark and sweet… dark and sweet… dark and sweet… dark and sweet…

Coke.

I placed a can of Coca Cola into the dish. Look, I’m not a chef so I solve problems as logically as possible. It’s like in my tool box back home, I would only have two tools – duct tape and grease. If it moves but isn’t supposed to move, I use duct tape. If it doesn’t move but is supposed to move, I use grease. If something is sour, put coke. Life is simple.

I tasted the mess and hey, it’s not bad! The Coke really did the trick! I took out a plate, placed some rice and ate the chickens. After 30 minutes, I wasn’t poisoned! Louvre arrived home and tried the adobo. He said it’s good (but take note that he just had a lot of beers) though he says the adobo over at his house didn’t have this much liquid in it.

You can’t even taste the burnt garlic! I actually cooked something edible! Wow! I guess two (or more) wrongs really make a right.

The next day, I asked Jaye to guess what I had for dinner a) adobo; b) sinigang or c) kare kare ?

Answer: d) All of the above

The Chase

The effects of having a late lunch -> come dinner time, you think you’re full and will just wait for breakfast but around 10pm you couldn’t sleep because now you’re too hungry.

11pm.

I wanted to cook something but I don’t want to start any kitchen disasters so I headed out and searched for any open fast food joint. A block away was a McDonald’s but it was closed already. There should also be a Popeyes somewhere but it was also closed. Subway, Chipotle, Potbelly Sandwich, West Egg Cafe … Closed, closed, closed, too expensive. I know a 24 hour McDonald’s but it’s a mile away. Hooters? Also too far. I gave up and decided to go home instead or drop by 7-11 to buy a Snickers bar or a hotdog. 4 blocks away from home, this guy came up to me and was asking something. He walked nearer and nearer until he’s within arm’s reach and he’s STILL walking nearer.

I’ve seen this before. Someone asks something then sticks a knife to your gut.

I took a few steps back. He took a few steps towards me. I took two quick steps back. He was sort of lunging at me.

Feet: “It’s time to run right?”
Brain: “Not so fast. Arn wrote an article before that he was tired of running and that he shouldn’t run from anything again. No more running he said."
Feet: “Oh, screw that entry!”
Brain: “GO GO GO!”

I turned around and ran like hell. He paused for a few seconds then he started to chase me! I don’t want to run to my place because that would lead him to where I’m staying. I wanted to run to another hotel/apartment and hide. One block away and he was still after me. Think think think, I have the stamina of an 80 year old man. I know I can only run for 4 blocks at most… 6 blocks tops if I’m chased. If he continues, I'll have to turn around and fight. I thought about what was in my pockets and checked if I can use anything to cause physical harm.

Keys… it won’t do a thing.
A grocery card (like a credit card)… too soft.
A quarter… won’t help.
A 20 dollar bill… I’ll really put up a fight before I give up this one.
A pair of tweezers… what do you want me to do? Pluck his eyebrows? (I picked up the tweezers on my way home earlier that day because i have a hangnail.)

I ran diagonally and ran into the street. I was good at frogger while I was a kid anyway. 2 blocks away he stopped chasing me and I found myself far from home now. I took the long route back. Long but well lit… panting and wheezing and running more if my legs permitted me to. I came home exhausted. My knees hurt. My back hurt. My heart was beating like crazy.

Well, the objective was to find something to rid my hunger. After all that, I was in no mood to do anything but sleep. Mission accomplished.

Aaawwwwwww...

The beauty of webcams... it's like talking to someone beside you. :)

Words from a Panda

I had my first Panda Express lunch today - noodles, sauteed chicken and of course... orange chicken. Every Panda Express meal comes with a fortune cookie. Do you still remember this entry? Basically, append "...in bed" to your fortune cookie message and it sounds a lot more interesting.

This means...

...in bed?

Father's Day at Foster

I stuffed all the things Mel and Jaye gave me into my backpack and lugged the two baskets we bought for tita. I walked all the way from my place to Dearborn and Ontario and waited for old number 22 (The Clark bus a.k.a. The Tito Roger bus... We drop off Foster st then walk to Tito's house). The bus arrived, the doors opened and guess who was inside.

Fritzie?

What the heck was she doing here? I thought she was in Buenos Aires so it took me a while to realize it was really her in here. She was also on her way to Foster where Gina, Boni and Zette were barbecuing hotdogs, steaks and bratwursts. I didn’t want to volunteer to do any cooking since I have the dreaded “Arn’s Touch” (anything I cook I burn). It was nice being with some familiar faces again though I think this is the first time I’ve really been with them.

Here's Fritzie and Boni slicing up the steak

Funny how that works when you hang out with your better half's close friends. It’s like automatically I’m one of the group just like the way Jaye is already part of my DB/Web team back in Manila. =)

Walking around the Windy City

Interesting.

Walking around downtown Chicago was weird. Just weird. It was like travelling back in time.

So many familiar things and places: the hill over at the Elk’s (you know that honey), Lincoln Park, Lakeshore drive, Navy Pier, O’Hare, Jewel-Osco, Rock and Roll McDonald’s, Ontario, State, Dearborn, Wacker, Clark, La Salle and the El train. Things have changed though. Jaye isn’t around to look out for me anymore. No smoking CheChe. No story telling Rico. No hoopdie driving Ria. No dancing clown Allan. No Lianne (yet). No Pads. No Ate Jen. No Fritzie. No Tessa. No Copi. No Mel. No RJ. No Joyce. No Aji. No Jhon, Sye, Sya, Mike and Lei.

Gwenny was here but she just moved far away. Vince was here but he moved to Indiana.

I went over to Jude’s to hang out. Sterling felt weird. I'm overwhelmed with memories.

Happy? Not much.
Sad? Not really.
Interesting? Definitely.

My Question Last May

Interesting.

Last May, I asked one of the questions that will only be answered in June. I only gave myself two possible answers:

What will I eat for lunch on June 16?

a) 2-piece Chickenjoy from Jollibee
b) Pad See Iew from Singha

June 16 came and went.



... I guess all great stories come in trilogies...

Crabby Arn

We were having lunch at this seafood place one day. I already ate a stick of barbecue and some shrimp then my uncle placed a huge orange crab on my plate. It smelled great!

but how do I eat it?

I don’t know how to “himay” (hmm… dismantle?) a crab. I eat crabsticks and crab rangoons from Singha (Thai restaurant in Chicago) but I never learned to eat crabmeat straight from a crab mainly because (1) mom always took out the meat for me when I was a kid and (2) having crab in our house was more rare than me going to the gym.

(which is like saying... "never")

I took the crab and tried to break it in half. I know I’m supposed to break it at a certain spot but I didn’t know where. I tried splitting it open with my bare hands and it felt like my fingers were being sliced with a dull knife. The crab was still in one piece and now my fingers were swollen. I grabbed a metal thingie and smashed the crab shell open sending pieces of crab flying around the place. I rammed and rammed the crab like I was playing wack-a-mole. I was getting ticked off because the smell and the sauce were delicious but I couldn't get the meat inside. Watching me hammer the crab, poke it with a knife and shout at it was like watching a monkey open a coconut.

...or like watching the Incredible Hulk operate a cell phone.

RRROAAARRRR! Arnold MAD! *bam!* (hammers the crab) Arnold CRUSH crab! *bam!* (pierces crab with a knife)

Was I able to get the meat out? Yup. Was I able to eat it? Yes but it was irritating since I fine minced the shell into the meat. Now I can’t differentiate the meat from the shells add that to the fact that both the shell and the meat are white. Genius. I ended up ordering a big box of Hotshots from KFC on my way home.

No shell, no claws, no problem.

It Was Just Meant to Be

I’ll be a few minutes late for the church service and so I told Jaye to go ahead without me and that I’ll just catch up. She didn’t tell me where exactly she would be sitting.

I arrived 20 minutes late and the place was packed. I proceeded to one side and an usherette asked me if I wanted a seat. I smiled and was about to say no and that I was looking for my friend but she took it as a yes and she directed me to this one seat with a bag on top of it. The bag belonged to the girl beside it.

The usherette asked if someone was seated there and the girl said it was reserved for someone. I grabbed the bag, placed it on the floor and sat on that particular seat.

I didn’t know who that usherette was nor did she know me or the girl. She just wanted to find a chair for me. How she directed me to that one chair - among all the empty chairs in the crowd, beside Jaye I’ll never know.

It guess it was just meant to be.

Learning from Waves

[My beach stories... part 4]

Obviously, this trip was more of a retreat for me than an office team building.

After that short conversation with Him earlier, I was back in the ocean not to ask anymore questions but just to have fun with my friends. After a few minutes of getting bounced around by the waves, I realized that waves are a lot like life’s problems and there are so many ways to handle it.

A wave came and I jumped backward into it. All the others were doing that.
Lesson: Look at how others solve their problems. If it works for them, it might work for you too. It's not guaranteed but it's worth a try.

A wave came and I dove into it. I went through the wave and surfaced on the same spot.
Lesson: Some problems can be taken head on. No running. No hiding. No delaying.

A wave came and I dove underwater. The current couldn’t drag me since my weight was concentrated on a single spot and resistance was above my head.
Lesson: Sometimes, the best thing to do is duck.

A small wave came and I punched it. It deflected most of the water and there wasn’t enough momentum left to drag me.
Lesson: Some problems can be solved using brute force. As much as I don’t recommend this, it sometimes works.

A wave came and I jumped backward. After landing back on my feet and regaining my balance, an unexpected wave came and wiped me out. Sending me floating back 10 feet, making me gulp salt water and burning my eyes.
Lesson: Problems can come in sequence. After solving one, be alert for the next.

With my back turned, a wave came and wiped me out. As I was floating and figuring out which way was up, I was coughing underwater because I inhaled a lot of seawater. I flailed my arms around until someone caught me.
Lesson: Problems can screw anyone but friends will always be there.

A wave came and I jumped with the wave towards the beach and swam. The wave brought me almost 20 feet from where I started.
Lesson: Roll with the punches. No resistance, no conflict, no problems.

A wave came and I jumped backward. As the wave hit me, my right leg cramped up. I swam back to shore on one leg while massaging my calf.
Lesson: Know when to quit and control damage.

I think the biggest lesson I learned from all this is that during the entire experience, I never stopped and complained that another wave was coming. I never blamed anyone for the waves. I never complained about the salty sea or the rocks I step on. I never wished that I was on a pond instead. I enjoyed the ocean even with the waves battering me around.

Stop complaining. There will always be problems. Enjoy life.

Angela and Erwin

[My beach stories... part 3]

I was walking back to our resort after taking pictures of the sunrise. 2 kids saw me and walked along with me. They were carrying a bag of mangoes and selling me some so that they can go to school. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything with me other than my phone, my camera, my room keys and a camera battery. I have no intentions to eat mangoes for breakfast but I wanted to reward these kids for earning money instead of begging for it. The next best thing I could do for them is take them to the beach in our resort so they could sell mangoes there.

I asked them about life around here. Their dad earns just enough to survive. They have to sell stuff from the forest to earn extra. They walk along these beaches everyday to make a few bucks.

And yesterday I was complaining that the air conditioner in our room was not cold enough and that the battery of my iPod was already drained because I did not charge it for a week?

Here’s Angela and Erwin. I’m guessing that’s their dad who was resting after taking a dip in the ocean.

Of Sunrises and Happy Thoughts

[My beach stories... part 2]

I’ve photographed sunsets before especially in Chicago but I’ve never taken a picture of a sunrise.

I was at the beach at 5:30 in the morning, camped on a log which served as my makeshift tripod. I walked the whole stretch of the beach looking for a good angle of the mountains and finally settled on that log.

Sunsets are nice. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling that today was a great day. The remaining sunlight creates unique shadows and the sun has changed into an orange ball on the horizon. I can look into it without shielding my eyes, take one deep breath and say “Truly, it was a good day.”

Sunrises are different. I know it’s a cliché but sunrises give me that “new beginning” feeling. All the pains and problems of yesterday are lost. It’s a fresh start and the day is already good and only up to me to mess up. I can look into it still without shielding my eyes, take one deep breath and say “This will be a good day.”.

I got caught staring at the sunrise for longer than I imagined. My camera was now just hanging around my neck - turned off and with the lens cap on, as I sat on that log – thinking, smiling, realizing so many things and appreciating life and what it has given me.

Staring at the sunrise – not a feeling like it. I took a few photos but used up most of my time staring. I’m a poet first, photographer second.

Not yet done

[My beach stories... part 1]

I was standing on sand and rocks with the water above my shoulder and just below my ears facing the sea. I raised my arms to my side and said “Here I am. If today’s the day so be it. You have a clear shot at me. Here I am. Your move.” then I closed my eyes and emptied my mind.

For a minute I felt empty. His answer was quick.

I opened my eyes and a big wave was forming in front of me. I closed my eyes and stood still. It slammed me and spun me in many directions. I was floating but I didn’t know which way was up. I reached out my hands and my legs hoping to feel sand which I did with my right arm. Next thing I know I was standing up waist deep in water with my eyes burning from the salty seawater and I was now facing the beach a few feet away from where I started from. When I regained my eyesight, another wave hit me from behind the knees taking me down and I was floating on my butt. I ended up sitting on the sand, neck up in water and still facing the beach. Another wave came and slammed behind my head which felt like someone slapping me and saying "Stop asking stupid questions."

I stood up and walked back while clearing the sand that was lodged onto my ring and causing my finger to itch. It took me a while to realize it but I did.

Thanks for the quick response.

Election Thoughts

Poor Manny

I could imagine Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez all sitting on a sofa watching the news about Pacquiao's loss over at ESPN, laughing uncontrollably and drinking Corona.

(In a Mexican accent) "Wala ka talaga katolad Manny! Bwahahahahahah!! Talo ke Darlene bwahahahaha!!!"

Election Ads

Frankly I was disappointed with the quality of mudslinging in this election (Well, I didn't see much from where I am so I guess I really shouldn't complain). Remember that ad before asking Enrile "how much are you?" and he goes on and shares his worth? Remember that ad with Miriam describing some Filipinos as "species of lower life forms"?

FINALLY, here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WavDUB3p0g8

My thought? "Lahat naman e" :P

The month of June

June will be interesting. I guarantee it.

Five Short Chapters on Change

Chapter 1
I walk down a street and there's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. It takes forever to get out. It's my fault.

Chapter 2
I walk down the same street. I fall in the hole again. It still takes a long time to get out. It's not my fault.

Chapter 3
I walk down the same street. I fall in the hole again. It's becoming a habit. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

Chapter 4
I walk down the same street and see the deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Chapter 5
I walk down a different street.

Typical Arn Story

This place where I'm currently taking my week long training serves breakfast, lunch and merienda for free to their students. They used to order out from nearby restaurants but I guess due to budget constraints, they decided to get an in-house caterer.

Anyways, one morning they were serving pancakes and ham for breakfast. They gave me two pieces of pancakes and a slice of ham. I placed a chunk of butter on each and drowned them in syrup which was unusually...er... malabnaw. I started walking away when the server called my attention.

"Ser, patis ho yan."

Making My Vote Count

This week I voted and celebrated democracy...



... and I for once I was proud I had dirty fingernails. :P

The Shakeys Experience

Last night, Jaye and I hopped off work and went straight to Park Square where I was looking for some lens hoods for my camera (as advised by Pads). After walking and walking and walking… we couldn’t find it and decided to eat dinner. We dropped by Shakeys and there started one of our worst dining experiences ever. Sorry guys, you had this coming.

- It was hard to call the attention of waiters. It took them a while before they could even give the menus to us and we even had to seat ourselves. A waiter would walk by and I raise my hand like a geek in math class but I get ignored. Another waiter walks by and I’m ignored. Another waiter… you get the idea.

- They first served the drinks (which was the only thing they served on time). I took a sip and placed the glass down. Jaye took a sip, looked at me and we had that conversation with incomplete, incoherent sentences but made perfect sense to us: “Lasang…” “uhuh”, “Parang…” “uhuh”, “Ganun ba…” “yep”… The soda was stale. I called the waiter and asked to have it replaced. They problem is…

- They have rude waiters. Look, we ordered for bottomless sodas so we’re not stiffing you by pretending the sodas were stale. The waiter had that “arte nyo naman” look when he grabbed the half empty glass. I asked where the soda came from (because if it was from the fountain, I’ll switch to iced tea). In a very arrogant voice, he explained to me “EH KASI HO SODA HO YAN.”.

Riiiiiiiiiight. That explained EVERYTHING. The waiter left and Jaye and I were laughing our butts off.

It’s not like we ordered Bloody Maries. It’s just Coke! Did they get it from their supplier in powder form or something? How do you mess that up?

- The orders took a long time to arrive. We observed the place and it wasn’t because there were plenty of customers and there were only a few waiters… it was a problem with efficiency. It’s like they don’t know the meaning of multi-tasking.

- We ordered the Bunch of Lunch which looked more like the bunch of Meriendas or bunch of appetizers. Just before Jaye could finish her sentence describing the Shakeys of old, I was already done with my spaghetti, mojos, pizza slice and was halfway done with my chicken.

- Don’t get me started with how long it took for the soda refills to come. Sabagay... Soda nga naman diba? (still doesn't make sense)

- We finished our meals and asked for the bill. The waiter acknowledged, ran off and was never heard from again. Another waiter passed and I asked for our bill. Again we never heard from that waiter again. We looked around and there were only a handful of customers left. Is their service really that bad or is the phrase “check please” in addition to drawing a rectangle with your thumb and pointer finger actually a voodoo spell that disintegrates waiters?

The Shakeys in this generation is completely different from the Shakeys a few years ago. The bunch of lunch before was really a BUNCH of lunch. I thank the Lord that I was able to experience such a meal before. Hold on, let’s recap. Problems with the current generation? Check. Complains a lot? Check. Balky knees? Check. An overly appreciation of the Lord? Check. I’m definitely old.

I rate this restaurant, 3 stale mojo potatoes.