"If life is like, incoherent disco music, neon lights, booze, half-sober crack addicted strangers, dolled-up prostitutes and heathens, then I'd rather die a monk in a secluded temple far away from traces of overwhelming plasticity and stupidity."Recently, I got together with some old classmates, 13 or so, for a mini-reunion dinner. Knowing my old classmaates, I didn't expect much and managed to sit through dinner, finish food and dessert. I gave the usual smiles, nods, yes and no, basically feign interest to keep conversation going (at their end that is). In doing so, I realize how it was so easy back then to disappear in the background of the minds of my old school mates, and that is due to the fact that they are already so full of themselves with their stories and the select topic areas that they can nibble on in a group setting.
The four years we spent together does not ensure we know each other well. Tendency was to fall back to the safe sub-groups forged during those formative years in college. Hence, nothing substantial from the gathering ever came. News was strictly defined by a set of questions, that is; "Who's married?", "Who's who?", "Who's not?". Don't blame me for being apathetic but I don't really care. Honestly, in that catching up session, the information they got from me is probably the same kind of information they can get if they ever tried to converse with an indifferent cat, not to mention the disinterested glance they can get if they are lucky to do even so.
Anyways it was not all bad, we got on (with our own sub-groups) and managed to get along well to end up in a type of place which can loosely be termed as 'boozecourt'. Food for foodcourt, and yes booze for 'boozecourt'. If you ever been in a court like place with lots of mini stalls where different kinds of food are served, then just imagine the same for this place except that it is solely for booze and some booze snacks. Chairs and tables litter the place, not to mention the drunk people by the throngs.
I asked my friend what people usually come here for and indeed she said "To sit around and to get drunk.". And this got me wondering, Why can't they just go to their houses lock up in their rooms and bang their heads with a bottle of beer, that way they don't have to spend lots of money and time on such a fruitless endeavor? So I stayed to look around, get to see what the place was like since it was my first time.
The place was huge! It's like a one stop drinking place with open bars for everyone. Everybody goes there all dressed up, pimped up, faked up, plumped up and dressed for the 9's. I was just amazed at what preparations people go through just to present themselves in a fashionable way of booze binging. Simply, the place was awesome in that you can't believe the sheer volume of foolish people and how outrageous they can be in trying to be hip and cool and 'up to the times' (and then down with it next morning).
Sorry for being so rudely honest but it was so much information to process at once. Of course, I was not there by choice, it just so happens that it was some of my classmates' idea of a good night out and fun get together. By the way, we barely hear each other over the NOISE (yes not music) and sitting too long in a dark place amidst so many strangers does not make me relax at all. All the time, the urge to crawl back to my nook with a book (even a study book) and good old soft music was getting stronger and stronger in me, and I miss my papi. Expect me to not go back at that money-wasting, mind-dulling, time-consuming, energy-depleting place ever again, whose charms and memories in me can be likened to that of freshly defecated cat-shit.
Of course, being a filipina, I try to hold back on my apparent disappointment of the place and focus instead with my classmates whom I haven't seen for a long time. Although to be quietly crude, nothing much to look forward to in a group gathering, as is always my case since I am definitely a very unsociable person. They ordered what they call the 'Kamikaze', a blue colored alcoholic beverage for women (there were about 10 or so women there). Passed around the glass laced with some powdered juice on the rim, talked and laughed at just anything rather silly . I have problem with noise, so I was not able to hear them.
As for drinks, they all had their fix except me. I declined, because it was not my cup of tea. They tried to cheer me on to drink, all of them, even promised not to tell that I drank, as if I care whether they tell or not. It was a matter of choice and I have decided before that it is not my duty to bend my principles just to appease other people and for whatever occasion unless I chose it. Disappointment was etched in their faces of course because I can't be made to drink, unless they would tie me to my seat, bound my hands, blindfold my eyes and force the blue concoction unto my wedged-open mouth. :meh: As if I care.
Finally, the evening came to a close, well not for all of us, but for me! I hitched a ride with a friend heading home as well. Apparently some of us agreed that that was enough "chilling out" for one night. Of course, I was glad to see my old classmates and travel back in time for a minute or so there upon seeing their faces. But the promise of solitude and true relaxation was so much in my mind that goodbyes was more of like a chore rather than a nostalgic activity (which was very far from my mind at the time! I just placed it here to add a bit of drama in this article. hehehe). So there I was, heading home, commuting at midnight thanking the blue stars for allowing a safe passage back to my warm bed and finally relax and enjoy a deep slumber and a clean conscience to boot. Woohoo!!! :D
