THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

Disneyland is one of those places that really confuse me. It is a quagmire. It is both a multi-national conglormorate and the happiest place on earth. The thing is, I understand that it is a money-making corporation, yet still fall under it's nearly evil spell.

Today, I took my nieces to Disneyland and I really enjoyed myself. They do not understand what I'm talking about when I discuss the profit motive and the greed of this corporation. It doesn't matter to them that the CEO and the board members just think about how much more money they can make from people. As my niece said, "but you know what Uncle Gio, it's worth it."

And even though I want to criticize one of the most powerful media companies in the world, I still get teary-eyed when I watch the Alladin show and listen to Jasmine sing her song. Of course, there's the amazing blue and hilarious Genie and who can forget the wonderful rug?

Yes, Disneyland is one of those places that Shrek would say is like an onion. It has so many layers to it and even if you keep peeling them, you still never know what you end up with. It's like that joke that men say about women - "you can't live with 'em, and you can't live without 'em."

BACK TO THE BAY

It's nearly a tradition now - everytime I visit the Bay Area, I always end up seeing my old coworker and friend Keyvan. Keyvan is connected to me in various ways. First, I hired him when I used to work for a media company called Mediasmith. Then Shirley, the sister I never had, ended up hooking up with him and being his girlfriend.

As my friend Samuel would say, "it's 'party all the time' Keyvan." Other than work, I don't think I've ever been with Keyvan outside of a party scene. Shirley, if you are reading this, maybe you can post a comment (that I will then re-post) of your description of him. Let's just say, the guy has the most incredible energy - I don't think Viagra will ever mean anything to him.

After asking my brother Paul if I could borrow his car ("do I have a choice?"), I drove off to the City (which is what Bay Area locals call San Francisco) from San Jose. I haven't lived in the Bay for about two years and during that time, I realized I had forgotten the different freeways. So rather than taking the 880, I ended up on the 101 and on the wrong side of the bay. I used the Dumbarton bridge to get back on the right side of the bay since I had to pick-up my friend Shirley who lives in Emeryville. Then, I got lost again and ended up on the Bay bridge paying a $3 toll to get into the city.

If you ever visit the Bay, be sure to stop by Treasure Island for its spectacular view of the City. There's no other view like it except maybe from Alcatraz Island, but you have to pay to see that view. Treasure Island offers a free view though you have to hope that parking is available. Remarkably, people even live on Treasure Island after some of the barracks were opened up to the public.

Nevertheless, I finally arrived in Emeryville. Seeing Shirley is always such a breath of fresh air. I don't know who she got her curious nature from, but she's the kind of person you can shoot the shit with for a long time and not get bored with the variety of subjects you cover. She's both intellectual and non-pretentious. While we waited for our friend Romie to arrive, we discussed movies since we are both movie-buffs and Netflix members. We both have a love for food and she shared a marvelous book called, "What the World Eats". I told her that if I had a coffee table, it would definitely be part of the rotation.

After blowin' some trees, Romie finally arrived and I immediately gave him shit. I told him that I know he's an old mother fucker, and if he wasn't such a good friend, I wouldn't have made him feel bad and forced him out this way. Romie lives in Vallejo which is about an hours drive from the City. I can't say much about Vallejo except that there are a lot of Filipinos that live there and so does rapper E40. The other thing is that it's pretty close to the Gold Club which is near Sacramento. More on the Gold Club some other day.

We headed into the City near Taylor and Geary and checked-out Swig, a posh little bar inside the Tenderloin, one of the seediest parts of the City. I had my "out of town goggles" on full blast. The OOT goggles is different from beer goggles because you don't need to be drunk for the goggle effects to take place. Instead, you just have to be a visitor from another city. The first thought that any male always has when visiting a new city is that the girls are so hot he should move there. However, since I lived in the Bay for quite a few years, I knew the effect would soon wear off. The hot Filipina with blond hair didn't look so good anymore and the white club chicks started to look plain.

Of course, Keyvan and his girlfriend Carolina were at the bar ordering drinks. I slid up beside them and said, "excuse me but can I order a drink?" I love surprising people - it always brings a smile to my face. I love to see my friends' eyes bulge out and then notice that quick second of confusion in their face. Then, they recognize you and they can not help but smile. I guess in many ways, we're always looking for acceptance.

CHARLOTTE'S BIRTHDAY

Today is my ex-girlfriend's birthday. After a woman turns 30, I don't think it really matters how old she is and I wouldn't want to be the one that asks.

I met Charlotte about a year after I graduated from college. I knew a friend who worked for a marketing survey company. It specialized in conducting surveys for electronic manufacturers. He was Filipino and practically everyone who worked the phones for that company was Filipino. Charlotte was in the cube next to me at work one day and when the day was over, we started talking. The rest, as I love to say, is history.

Charlotte got married and had three kids, but unfortunately, she's currently going through a divorce. So lately, she's been able to go out and have some fun because she's almost single again. She's getting her masters and invited all of her classmates (mostly women) and some of her co-workers to her party.

I was a little nervous about going because I wasn't sure what to expect. Charlotte's been my wing-girl lately, hooking me up with the girlies when we go out. Tonight was probably going to be no different.

As soon as I entered her house, Charlotte was all smiles and introducing me to everyone she knew. I couldn't tell if she was just happy to see me, drunk or proud that I was a friend of hers. I quickly looked around and noticed a range of mid-20s to 30+ women. I turned my mar-dar (marriage radar) on and figured out at least two women were married or engaged. When asked, Charlotte confirmed that three women were taken. Obviously, they were the most attractive.

Although some of the Asian girls were cute, for some reason, I have been attracted to white girls lately. I'm not sure why that is. I think it might have something to do with whoever I am thinking about. At one time, I was into mixed girls because I was seeing a half-Portuguese half-black chick. I waited for my opportunity and sat down next to the white girl I was looking at.

Her name was Stephanie and she looked petite and a little shy. I don't know why I'm a sucker for shy girls, but I am. Maybe it has something to do with my inner shyness. I get quiet around attractive girls, but I think it is more a dumbing down effect. But Stephanie wasn't knock-out gorgeous or anything, so I felt like I had command of this situation.

The funny thing is that the living room we were in was full of Charlotte's classmates and within ten minutes, only Stephanie and I were left. She was stuck in the corner seat with me and she looked terribly uncomfortable. I didn't care because I had a few drinks in me and was willing to do some Chinese water torture to her. Making people uncomfortable isn't very nice, but when I can tell someone isn't used to attention, I think it's the one time it is.

But my bladder started calling and I had to use the bathroom. When I got out, Stephanie was gone and I thought I might have lost my chance. As I walked around, I noticed she had moved to the kitchen where everyone else was. I wasn't worried though because I knew my wing-girl would be in class with her next week anyway. So as I walked through the kitchen, I stole a glance at Stephanie and was happy to make eye-contact.

The night wore down and soon enough, no one was left except those few who had drank too much - Chantelle, Marilou, Marco and myself. Charlotte had mentioned earlier that a few of her friends were planning to spend the night. Soon enough, the bottle started spinning on the table and kisses were going around. I noticed that Marco, Charlotte's masseuse, was getting awfully close with Chantelle. How would Charlotte feel about this?

I left before things got too hairy. Charlotte walked me out and she was pissed. "That fucking asshole! I am so mad!" she said. I knew Charlotte wanted him but Marco was happy enough to bone whatever was in front of him. Could you blame the guy? I later found out he spent the night and that Charlotte was furious. At least her anger finally got rid of the crushilitis she had.

SMOKING AT THIRTEEN

Yesterday, I returned a tie at the Nordstrom Rack I wore recently to a wedding. I didn't realize ties came in different sizes. It was XXL, but the lady at Nordstrom didn't even ask if I had a reason for returning it. I also returned a finisher's belt that I bought at Lowe's for Halloween.

I also stopped by a kitchen remodeling store that's local. I am amazed that such a store can exist in this suburb I live in, but I guess many of the homes here are older and do need remodeling. Unfortunately, it is closed on Mondays so I will need to return later this week.

It's warm out even though it's already November. But it gets much colder at night and that's when you can tell it's winter. I love being outside, especially when I'm working. Strangely, when I have a lot of time, I never spend it outside. The only time I really do that is when I go to the beach, run errands or play golf. I wonder how I can change that.

I watched Thirteen (2003) last night. It has been sitting on my "to watch" list for about a week now. I was hoping I could bring it to Vegas to show Brenda, but it didn't get into the mailbox in time. It's an indie, but it has some stars in it. Holly Hunter plays an ex-alcoholic and Jeremy Sisto plays her boyfriend. You'll get a good idea of what it's all about by reading reviews. All I have to say about it is that I hope my nieces never get exposed to that kind of behavior until they are 18.

I believe that if you are exposed to certain things in life before 17, your brain or body gets wired a certain way. Then, for the rest of your life (or until you decide to change), you'll continue to do these things without much thought of what it is actually doing to you. Consider tobacco smoke. Teenagers exposed to tobacco have a higher rate of dependency as adults. The American Psychiatric Assocation even defines nicotine dependence and withdrawal as a disorder.

It's cliche but now I understand what they mean when they say, "If you don't smoke, don't start." Holly Hunter says it in Thirteen, "I never want you to start smoking." Although Hollywood glamourizes it and certain drugs go nearly hand-in-hand with tobacco, take some action and prevent someone (especially teens) from starting.

I don't remember if this was a dream or if it actually happened, but someone (my uncle maybe) was smoking when I was still in the Philippines (five or under years old). I looked curious and wanted to try it. He warned me but I insisted. So he gave me a puff and of course, I nearly threw-up. It may have looked cruel, but it was perhaps the best lesson I've ever learned.

LOST IN TRANSITION

I got home late last night and woke up really late, around 1:30 pm. Ate lunch and immediately began watching television. During these periods, I am always reminded of the time I spend watching TV. If 1/3 of our lives are spent sleeping and say a 1/3 of our lives spent working, I probably spend the other 1/3 watching TV. That's a lot of television and that's probably why I am so good at pop trivia. If you may be the same way, consider TV Turnoff Week http://www.tvturnoff.org/

After a playoff game at my basketball league (we won easily), I had dinner and sat down to watch Sophia Coppola's "Lost In Translation" (are movie titles supposed to have quotes?). It's one of those movies that I know my mom just wouldn't get nor enjoy. In fact, when she watched it, she thought it was "corny". Maybe she got it or maybe she didn't. But either way, enjoying art is simply a matter of taste. But does our taste in movies say anything about who we are?

Coppola won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for this movie and I scratched my head wondering what she wrote exactly. However, looking back at her competition, it is really no surprise that she won. She went up against a cartoon (Finding Nemo), a British film (Dirty Pretty Things) and two other movies not many people have probably seen (The Barbarian Invasions and In America). The movie is very slowly paced and it really isn't full of dialogue. Instead, it uses beautiful imagery and interesting editing to keep it fresh and beautifully simple. In some ways, it is representative of Japan where it takes place.

What is more interesting is the feeling it imparts on you. It's the kind of movie you can't help but think about for a few weeks. It leaves you with more delightful questions to consider and in the end, you know there are really no answers to them. In some ways, it's a take on life and maybe that's why it has interested me so.

STAR WARS EPISODE III

I feel worse than yesterday. My nephew (actually my first cousin's son so technically, he's my second cousin but you know how we Filipinos do it) told me he bought Star Wars Episode III on DVD. My feelings about Star Wars are pretty conflicted.

Other than the original Star Wars and maybe American Graffiti, what other good movies has Lucas really directed? I think he should have stayed away from directing and just executive produced these other Star Wars movies.

Later, I went home to watch the Asphalt Jungle directed by John Huston.