Xmas Break

Well, its that time of year again. Reflections or whatever you want to call them... I like to reflect, I just dont Windex the mirror first, if you catch my drift.

This has been a great year for me, mostly because of my dearest and sweetest, Karen. She has made the impossible in my life possible.

This year I have had the opportunity to go to Cancun, Honduras, Belize, New Orleans, Gatlinburg and Nashville, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale, and of course I am writing this self indulgent tale from Manila. It has been a banner year of travel for me, the crown jewel being that I am back in school, studying to become a Health Care Professional of what capacity only time will tell.

Every day I learn something new and interesting here, if I had a nickel for every sociological lesson that I have learned the hard way in my travels, I would be a millionaire. I guess its boastful to say that in a way, but I say it with the most sincere self-depreciating tone that I can. Hey, Im lucky and I know it. Also, I think I make my own luck by allowing myself the opportunity to let chance and randomness take the reigns once in a while. I guess I am non-structured and disorderly to some, but hey, it works for me.

I just bought a harmonica from a guy in the street selling them for about $0.75. It is without a doubt the cheapest of harmonicas that one could purchase, but ibrainier brainer because I am always busting the reeds on my $40.00 Lee Oskars and my budget is such that if the opportunity to buy a crappy harmonica presents itself, I jump at the chance. I havent played in so long. I hope to jam out one of these days, just need to find a blues band. I saw Freddy Aguilar in the Hobbit House a couple of weeks back. Freddy is a Dylan-esque standard in the Philippines, singing and playing music about Filipinos, women, and Filipino women. I got his CD and had it autographed, I thanked him for his performance (though short) and he said "Sorry man, I was so drunk". I excused him and casually (a bit drunk myself) asked if I could jam with him one day (he is a regular at the Hobbit House) and he humored me by saying "sure" though I am sure he was just being polite, I mean the guy is a legend. And from what I have learned, though extremely polite in social discourse, Filipinos would rather say "yes" even if it means "no, actually". Either way, it was a very good night, even though my squeeze was not feeling well enough to make it out. BTW, the Hobbit House is a very well known establishment featuring big name draws to its intimate 1500 sq/ft size. Another thing interesting about the place and size is that it is run and employed by midgets.