Smashing Pumpkins in Manila

I'll forever remember this concert as "buwis-buhay". The concert, set on August 7 (Tuesday), was moved a day later due to the torrential rains. Yet, the next day's weather wasn't better, in fact, our office called off work.

So I was at home while hubby went off to work. I planned to go to Trinoma then ride the MRT to Cubao early, but the crazy rain dissuaded me from going out. At first, hubby said he'd go home early and pick up, but when the roads started to get flooded, he said I should just meet him in Cubao. So I called for a taxi, and after about 30 minutes of waiting, was on the way to Trinoma. But as we approached the intersection of Mindanao Ave. and North Ave., the same was crazy flooded and impassable. I made the taxi go to SM North.

Finally, I made it to Cubao. Hubby texted that he left the car in Shangri-La Mall and took the MRT. If we'll be able to get it after the concert or how we'll go home if not, we did not know.

When we got inside Smart Araneta at a little past 8, most of the seats were empty. I checked Twitter and the band said they were pushing back the show to 9:15pm for the latecomers. True enough, people soon trickled in.

For the first set, they played the whole Oceania album which I've never listened to, nor have a copy of, so I was pretty 0__0 throughout the set haha.

I perked up when they played "Disarm" because that's one of their songs that I grew up with.  By the way, we were seated in Upper Box A, and this was the best my iPhone can do:

Please believe me that's the Smashing Pumpkins haha. (Side note: their bassist Nicole is so hot, playing the guitar in a swishy red dress. In my next life, I want to play the guitar and sing.) Anyway, Billy got the drift that the most of the crowd grew up during the 90s for when he asked who was born after 1987, people laughed and booed. They played around 30 songs but I think I was only familiar with five or six. :) Too bad they didn't play Perfect and Landslide (which I just learned was only a cover). And I found it cute that when they played 1979, a couple of people threw toilet paper rolls. At first I was surprised, then I remembered the music video hehe.

The concert ended a little past 12 midnight and it was POURING outside. Luckily, we nabbed a taxi and hubby decided we should get the car. The ride home was really scary because it was zero visibility and the roads were flooding fast. The weather got to me because I threw up in the car. (Sorry, TMI).

And this is why the Smashing Pumpkins concert will be forever remembered as "buwis buhay". :)

Heartbreak

It's been a while since I cried over a heartbreak - and in public, to boot. This morning I learned something that threw me off guard so much that I could not help but cry. Even while I was lining up for the LRT. Even when I was inside the LRT. Even when I was at my desk. Just my luck everyone's sickly these days that it only appears that I have a really bad cold/allergy.

I just want to remember that today, I cried over a heartbreak. :(

Ping Pong

I am hardly athletic. I blame my poor vision since 4th grade, when I started wearing eye glasses. Contacts grossed me out, they still do, even if I wear them occasionally. So I used to joke that I don't play with balls larger than my face (mind you, I made this joke in high school so I'm sure there was no sexual undertone - okay, maybe a little. Ew me.)

When I was in first year HS, our dad suddenly got us a ping-pong table. It was a couple of weeks before the school intrams. After some classmates learned that we have a ping-pong table, I was tasked to represent our color (the years were divided into teams) despite my nonexistent backhand and drive skills. Of course I lost.

But I started playing and playing and playing. For sophomore and junior years, I played doubles. Individually, my partner and I were good, not great. But we devised this sort of dance wherein one will smoothly step back after hitting the ball so the other has enough space to chase the returning ball. I think we were champs both years, if not, our junior year. On our senior tear, "we gave chance to others."



In UP, table tennis was one of my four PEs. I'm proud that I ranked second among the girls in our class.

Then in law school, somebody learned that I used to play ping-pong, so I was asked to represent the school in Conflicts of Law, the intrams among law schools. I resisted because I wasn't playing anymore, but school spirit prevailed. I don't remember if I won any match, just that my last match was against a former Pambansang Palaro player. It was like playing against the wall. I never returned after that.

I just finished watching the medal matches of the Olympics Ladies Singles. I suddenly missed playing.