Complexities of a prince\’s life…

Listen
I am alone at a crossroads
I’m not at home in my own home
And I’ve tried and tried
To say whats on my mind
You should have known
Now I’m done believing you
You don’t know what I’m feeling
I’m more than what
You’ve made of me
I followed the voice, you gave to me
But now I’ve gotta find my own
You should have listened

I don’t know where I belong
But I’ll be moving on
If you don’t, if you won’t

***

Sometimes, it takes a random song from my ipod to really capture what’s going on in my life. It just amazes me how I (still) have been trying to reach out to you. I was all ears when you needed me. But you know what saddens me? When it was my time to say something to someone I really care about, you just couldn’t listen..

I pride myself of being able to control the amount of alcohol intake I could handle. And I believe that I have been uber careful not to get to the point of vomiting outside the confines of my house.

Not until this past few weeks have things been a little (or a lot, depends how you look at it) different.

The first time I was so wasted I had to vomit elsewhere (elsewhere = not in mi casa), was way back college days. It was during one of the Faraday-Townes reunion parties that I used to throw when I was still back home. Culprit: peer pressure. It was one of those “Rob, take this shot for me please.” Many shots after, I met a new friend: the toilet.

If you were to chronologically look at things into perspective, here’s what happened:

October 27, 2006 – Black and White Party (my birthday celebration). Got so wasted I knocked out on the floor. I didn’t realize that one of my friends was hyperventilating they had to call 911. The paramedics came; thankfully she was ok after a few minutes. The funny thing was, they (the paramedics) asked if I was ok and my friends were like “Oh, yeah. He’s just sleeping. Don’t worry about him.”

Late 2006 – I kind of vowed not to drink anymore not unless it was a social gathering. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t define drinking wine for dinner as drinking. It was more like: goodbye Midori Sour, Mojito, Mai Tai, Long Island Iced Tea, Jager Bomb, Tequila Shots, Vodka, kind of thing.

New Years 2007 – No-drinking-booze even made my New Years’ resolution. The downfall: one-last-for-2006 drink. It really wasn’t the greatest idea of the night I tell you.

January 3, 2007 – New Years’ resolution (re: booze) broken.

Rest of January – I was going through a lot at that time and unfortunately, I chose to drink more and think less.

February to March – Casual drinking here and there: Very (very) seldom. I was pretty much busy and swamped with stuff.

These past few weeks – Booze, booze, and more booze. Yeah, I wasn’t the designated driver but it just ‘aint me getting all drunk, getting wasted to the point of getting off a moving car and vomiting by the coconut tree. You should have seen it. Well.. No. Not really a scene to watch.

Don’t get me wrong. Drinking moderately (21 and over I believe, should be the legal age) is perfectly fine. But when you get to the point of suffering from the consequences of being so wasted, then that’s a completely different scenario.

Here are some of my problems with drinking:

1. Drinking the night before a midterm. This is completely a no-brainer. Common, knowing that you have an exam the following day means you have got to have a good night rest. Bringing your reviewer (yeah, I still make those. haha!) to the bar wouldn’t help at all. Loud music, dim lights, what was I thinking? I wasn’t!

2. When you’re so drunk that you roll down your windows (of a moving car), remove your seat belt, thrust your body outside while one of your friend holds your legs so as not to fall, and then reach for the street cone (the orange ones by the street when something is under construction). Need I say more?

3. Hypothetically speaking, making out with two people (not at the same time ok?). The bigger problem: the two of them are best friends.

4. My biggest problem with drinking is that, ultimately, it’s your choice. It was your choice to chug down all the booze and therefore you have to suffer the consequences of your actions. Knowing this poses a bigger problem: you choose to be wasted not because it will give you the license to do stuff (Trust me, it doesn’t. We all know what we’re doing let’s skip the “But-I-was-drunk” excuse shall we?) but because you want to break the rules in the first place.

Bottom line: being drunk is cowardice.

I pride myself of being able to control the amount of alcohol intake I could handle. And I believe that I have been uber careful not to get to the point of vomiting outside the confines of my house.

Not until this past few weeks have things been a little (or a lot, depends how you look at it) different.

The first time I was so wasted I had to vomit elsewhere (elsewhere = not in mi casa), was way back college days. It was during one of the Faraday-Townes reunion parties that I used to throw when I was still back home. Culprit: peer pressure. It was one of those “Rob, take this shot for me please.” Many shots after, I met a new friend: the toilet.

If you were to chronologically look at things into perspective, here’s what happened:

October 27, 2006 – Black and White Party (my birthday celebration). Got so wasted I knocked out on the floor. I didn’t realize that one of my friends was hyperventilating they had to call 911. The paramedics came; thankfully she was ok after a few minutes. The funny thing was, they (the paramedics) asked if I was ok and my friends were like “Oh, yeah. He’s just sleeping. Don’t worry about him.”

Late 2006 – I kind of vowed not to drink anymore not unless it was a social gathering. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t define drinking wine for dinner as drinking. It was more like: goodbye Midori Sour, Mojito, Mai Tai, Long Island Iced Tea, Jager Bomb, Tequila Shots, Vodka, kind of thing.

New Years 2007 – No-drinking-booze even made my New Years’ resolution. The downfall: one-last-for-2006 drink. It really wasn’t the greatest idea of the night I tell you.

January 3, 2007 – New Years’ resolution (re: booze) broken.

Rest of January – I was going through a lot at that time and unfortunately, I chose to drink more and think less.

February to March – Casual drinking here and there: Very (very) seldom. I was pretty much busy and swamped with stuff.

These past few weeks – Booze, booze, and more booze. Yeah, I wasn’t the designated driver but it just ‘aint me getting all drunk, getting wasted to the point of getting off a moving car and vomiting by the coconut tree. You should have seen it. Well.. No. Not really a scene to watch.

Don’t get me wrong. Drinking moderately (21 and over I believe, should be the legal age) is perfectly fine. But when you get to the point of suffering from the consequences of being so wasted, then that’s a completely different scenario.

Here are some of my problems with drinking:

1. Drinking the night before a midterm. This is completely a no-brainer. Common, knowing that you have an exam the following day means you have got to have a good night rest. Bringing your reviewer (yeah, I still make those. haha!) to the bar wouldn’t help at all. Loud music, dim lights, what was I thinking? I wasn’t!

2. When you’re so drunk that you roll down your windows (of a moving car), remove your seat belt, thrust your body outside while one of your friend holds your legs so as not to fall, and then reach for the street cone (the orange ones by the street when something is under construction). Need I say more?

3. Hypothetically speaking, making out with two people (not at the same time ok?). The bigger problem: the two of them are best friends.

4. My biggest problem with drinking is that, ultimately, it’s your choice. It was your choice to chug down all the booze and therefore you have to suffer the consequences of your actions. Knowing this poses a bigger problem: you choose to be wasted not because it will give you the license to do stuff (Trust me, it doesn’t. We all know what we’re doing let’s skip the “But-I-was-drunk” excuse shall we?) but because you want to break the rules in the first place.

Bottom line: being drunk is cowardice.

On a windy day in Downtown Los Angeles, going for a walk and having lunch out of my office proved to be a not-so-good idea. Gee, when did LA become the new Chicago??

On a (very) related note, Los Angeles lost its bid to represent the US for the 2016 Olympics. The winner: Chicago (duh). I haven’t been there so I really can’t say anything good or bad about the place. Maybe it’s time for me to visit my relatives there this summer. All I know is that I am never going there during winter (horrendous stories about how crazy the cold could get).

You get to the party fashionably late.

I saw you going around the room, saying hi to your friends, catching up with some of them.

You recognize me and give me a hug while “hey” was the only word I could muster from my thoughts.

Beer. I know I could handle beer (I hate how it tastes therefore less consumption) more than those hard mixes and shots. Not tonight, I’m not getting drunk.

It doesn’t take long before you get lost with the crowd again.

You’re popular and you know people like you. I guess what’s interesting about you, is the way you handle yourself knowing that.

It doesn’t take long before you get so drunk, again. And then you find yourself sitting on the same couch with me.

You stare at me and try to strike a conversation. I said, “You’re drunk.” You stare again and you say my name. I lean closer trying to hear what it is you wanted to say.

You just smile, knowing that I wasn’t going to fall for that. You ask me why I am so proper and composed.

Then I realized that you’re still just a face to me. I really don’t know that much about you but people say a lot of things about the kind of person that you are: someone I would and should not like.

But I know there’s more to what the eyes can only see. I know you’re more than just a pretty face. I want to believe that.

But I guess it’ll always be like this every time we bump into each other. Same old game.

The ironies of life.. I like you but I don’t want to.

You get to the party fashionably late.

I saw you going around the room, saying hi to your friends, catching up with some of them.

You recognize me and give me a hug while “hey” was the only word I could muster from my thoughts.

Beer. I know I could handle beer (I hate how it tastes therefore less consumption) more than those hard mixes and shots. Not tonight, I’m not getting drunk.

It doesn’t take long before you get lost with the crowd again.

You’re popular and you know people like you. I guess what’s interesting about you, is the way you handle yourself knowing that.

It doesn’t take long before you get so drunk, again. And then you find yourself sitting on the same couch with me.

You stare at me and try to strike a conversation. I said, “You’re drunk.” You stare again and you say my name. I lean closer trying to hear what it is you wanted to say.

You just smile, knowing that I wasn’t going to fall for that. You ask me why I am so proper and composed.

Then I realized that you’re still just a face to me. I really don’t know that much about you but people say a lot of things about the kind of person that you are: someone I would and should not like.

But I know there’s more to what the eyes can only see. I know you’re more than just a pretty face. I want to believe that.

But I guess it’ll always be like this every time we bump into each other. Same old game.

The ironies of life.. I like you but I don’t want to.

Got this from Ali’s page. Couldn’t stop laughing when I saw the result. So lame.. Lol!

Get Your Sexy Name

My Music professor wasn’t kidding when he told me that watching an orchestra or opera at the Walt Disney Concert Hall would be worth the price of the tickets. It was definitely worth it! I’ve never applauded any performance for more than a minute until tonight. I’ve clapped for at least 5 minutes. The acoustics were great, the instrumentalists (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra) were amazing, and the singers were so good. I really recommend visiting the place once in your life.

The opera/orchestra was entitled Tristan and it showcased Act 1of the entire Tristan and Isolde. I’ve read the synopsis before the performance started, to give me an idea at least as to what Act 1 is all about (not having seen the movie in its entirety). The one seating to my right started a conversation during the intermission and asked if it was my first time there. How could he have known? Maybe my face was showing how amazed I was and that I was intent and eager to listen. He told me that he has seen the performance before (here in Los Angeles as well as in Paris) and that it showcased love, and is quite erotic.. I was like, “Excuse me?” Maybe he was just pertaining to the lyrics, that what I thought at first.

During the performance, there was this huge screen playing a video of what was supposed to be Act 1. It was a subtle video and was just playing bits and pieces and was in slow motion (since the singer and the orchestra were in a slow pace as well). Then, it showed Tristan and Isolde side by side, getting ready for a bath (or something, I’m really not sure what) and then they start to undress.. Really!

It was the slowest getting-ready-to-take-a-bath moment which lasted for more or less 8 minutes. First their robes, then their necklace, then Tristan’s pants, then Isolde’s skirt (or wrap, whatever you ladies call it). I was like.. “For sure they’d leave their underwear on.” But no.. They were completely naked during the 8th minute. I saw two couples leaving the hall (probably got offended by the scene) but majority were all glued to the huge screen.

It wasn’t really that erotic, or maybe I wasn’t able to really grasp the intensity of the scene. My new acquaintance, the guy to my right, told me that those who have played Tristan (most of those who played him) have committed suicide due to the power and strength of the character. I say “coincidence!” Haha! (see my last post “S.I.G.N.S.”)

Overall, it was really a remarkable experience. I watched it alone since it was sorta last minute and I needed it for a music paper due tom (I’ve got to stop procrastinating). But I will surely bring my friends next time I watch a performance there. Here are some pictures of the concert hall: