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| It was a Bucket List Year for me. Cheers! |
You have to forgive me if this would turn out to be a self-indulgent writeup. I always infuse my biases on my blogs but 2012 was the first in quite some time when I made it more personal. It would feel right if I end the 2012-centric write-ups with a focus on myself.
My year began with me adjusting in America. It was my lifelong dream. I guess I just wanted to experience living in a different place, culture and people. If there was one thing I could empathize with LeBron when he left Cleveland a few years back, it was the fact that he wanted to live in a different place. You are in your mid twenties and you are at the height of your life. Of course, you would want to experience something different. It is not a ‘restart’ button but it is more of a ‘refresh’ button. After all, you would be at a point of your life where your work gets routine. If you are like me who is too lazy to study for a masters degree, then you would need this ‘refresh’ button.
Top 5 U.S. Cities I Visited
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| Oh Boston |
5. San Francisco, California. Oh San Francisco. Such a lovely place. Park? Check. Historical Landmarks? Check. Transportation System? Check. Beautiful Downtown? Check. Check. Check. What’s not to love on this foggy town? Actually, I realized I was not a fog person when I went to SanFo. And I love driving. It does not help that this place is very expensive as well. Either way, I will definitely go back to San Francisco because it is still a beautiful place.
4. Los Angeles, California. This should be more of Southern California because I was in Orange County more than in L.A. The weather in this place is perfect. There are lots of places to visit. The downside: The horrible traffic. My GPS showed I would arrive an hour before my desired time on my destination. Instead, the traffic ate up all that hour of allowance.
3. New York City, New York. Duh. New York definitely needs to be in this list. I am a city person and will always be so tall skyscrapers and contemporary architecture always amaze me. Central Park and Times Square pushes it further. The only setback is the costly lifestyle and the fact that cars are discouraged. 29 US Dollars for just 30 minutes of parking is outrageous.
2. Boston, Massachusetts. I guess the fact that my first independent tourist travel was in Boston helped me appreciate the place further. I have to admit that this place has several setbacks: the cold and gloomy weather and a very old (and squeaky) transportation system. However, I liked how authentic the “oldness” this city brings. It was like living in a different world even if you have those tall beautiful buildings in sight. And the squeaky cramped up subway train? It has its charm of appearing old. When I walked inside Fenway Park, it was surreal. It is also a plus that Boston is a huge sports city.
1. Atlanta, Georgia. I know I am biased. But having lived in this southern city for seven months made me realize it was a pleasant place. Weather is near perfect. There are fewer historical landmarks to visit but if you are going to live in a place for a long time, would you need that? And this I got to tell you: Atlanta has the most beautiful chicks I have seen. I am a sucker for blonde Caucasians. The lifestyle is laid back and is relatively cheap. You can easily drive around the city. I know that people complain of Atlanta traffic but it is nothing compared to Manila or LA traffic. And, there are lots of trees in the place (meaning your car is effed during pollen season).
America, even if its culture is infused in our country, is very much different than the Philippines. I love the weather. Even if it gets annoyingly cold and your car’s windshield gets totally white, I never got sick while I was in there. The drivers are more disciplined. The people are much easier to talk to. You can chat with a random stranger any time you want. I got to experience eating lunch with total strangers and conversing with them for more than thirty minutes non-stop. I got to talk about baseball for the whole game with an opposing team’s fan (a complete stranger) not only on one but two games. For sports fans like me, America was heaven. I got to watch all the sports I want at the most convenient times. No wonder I could hardly follow TV series (I only got to follow two shows: How I Met Your Mother and Mad Men)
Were You Hitting On Me, Were You Just Starting A Conversation, Am I This Naive/Conservative or All of the Above?
Not Counted:
Chick that I passed by where she greeted me good morning or waves a hand at me.
Cashier/waitress that somehow flirted on me
My hot, blonde leasing office manager. She was just being nice to me because I am a customer.
Strip club dancers. Duh. (Yes, I went there for the experience. Nothing excessively naughty though. Just a lap dance)
5. I was swimming alone in our apartment pool when a black chick joined. While I was resting, she asked me a strange question about when is the pool closed (of course, during winters). She introduced herself after. Yeah, you guessed it right. I did not make a move. I did not have the hots for her.
4. Martin and I were riding a train in Boston during Cinco De Mayo (May 5) when I saw a very vocal attractive but drunk blonde chick talk about how her guy friend should stop touching her panty. It was one of the strangest experiences I've had on drunk people (there were worse). After a few minutes, I noticed something hit my cap and fell. It was a pink panty. Yes, she threw her panty at me. What the hell. OK, this was definitely not hitting on me because she was with a group of drunk friends which were mostly boys but this is still noteworthy because of the absurdity.
3. When I arrived on a bar (Tin Lizzy's) on St. Patrick's Day, I was lining up to buy a beer when a well-dressed chick approached me to take her group of friends' picture. I took it and received a free kiss in the cheek. They left afterwards (probably to a party place). Hey, at least I got something but yeah, I should've asked if I could crash their party.
2. I was leaving a concluded Braves game (my last) when a brunette tapped me on a shoulder and asked if I was wearing a Prado jersey. She told me it was her favorite player. Instead of making a cool move saying that my actual name has a "Prado" on it, I high fived her (WTF, Jeff). In my defense, she could be jailbait.
1. The blonde chick from the room above my apartment knocked at my door asking if she can come inside so she could take a look if her necklace fell in my balcony. She happened to "research" my name by asking our leasing office for it. I couldn't let her enter as it was the week I arrived from Boston and my apartment was a total mess. When she was about to leave, I noticed that she was the same chick I had a random talk with two months before.
Yeah, I know what you are thinking: What the hell, Jeff?! Yes, I’m still saying that to myself after reading it: What the hell, Jeff?! Actually, the only regret I had here was # 1 because the chick was really cute and was nice to converse with. I am actually not a good at doing stuff that Barney Stinson does anyway. By the way, I wrote these for entertainment’s sake. You know, if you like schadenfreude. You have my permission to laugh.
My stay in the United States became more memorable as I crossed my life’s bucket lists as fast as a teacher checks the twelfth Math exam of her students. I was able to watch my first baseball game, my first multiple overtime NBA game (and was even the longest since 1996), my first camping experience, my first visit to numerous US states that were once in my Top 5 lists of dream cities in 2008. It was a surreal feeling. Sure, some aspects of my life still suck (ahem! Love life. Ahem!) but my 2012 experience overshadowed these in a huge fashion. I was living the life.
Top 5 Places I Visited
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| This is not photoshopped. |
5. Coron, Palawan. #itsmorefuninthephilippines This place is the primary example why it is fun to tour in our country. Coron boasts of several islands and scenic spots. I compared my Puerto Princesa beach experience to the “Lost” beaches back in 2005. Coron comes close and offers a wide plethora of water activities with snorkelling areas, lakes and lagoons.
4. Universal Studios Hollywood (Los Angeles). This goes high in the list because I got a VIP pass where I got to step inside the “Parenthood” set. I also got to have pictures on the famous “Back to the Future” set. Yes, “Back to the Future” set! My favorite 1980s movie (especially that it was released on my birth year)
3. Times Square (New York). It is actually tough to choose which was the best Manhattan spot. I went with Times Square because I love the city bright lights.
2. Fenway Park (Boston). It is America’s oldest ball park. It offered a different experience than other ball parks. It’s like you went back in time in a bizarre manner because you still see a huge Jumbotron and it is very commercial. But the dim-lit place, the old scoreboard and the way the stadium is situated at the heart of the city offers it an old school feel. Best ball park ever.
1. Grand Canyon (Arizona). Surreal natural wonder. It is like a painting if you see it. No wonder romantics die in that place.
I have to note that with good comes some bad. 2012 is actually a year of extremes for me. Especially in sports. There was just too much ups and downs.
Top 5 Sports Results this year (Olympics excluded)
On the cusp: San Francisco Giants win World Series
5. LA Kings cap their memorable NHL playoff run with the Stanley Cup win.
4. New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
3. Ateneo Blue Eagles capture 5th straight title
2. Juan Manuel Marquez stuns Manny Pacquiao with a Round 6 KO Blow
1. LeBron James wins his first NBA ring
Top 5 Biased Sports Highlights
On the Cusp: Watched the longest NBA game live in almost two decades as the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz duked it out on a four-overtime game/ Tebow Time reaching its high as Tebow's Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round of the AFC Playoffs
5. Witnessing the Atlanta Braves come back from a nine-run deficit in Washington as diehard Braves fans chanted the tomahawk chop. This was a one-of-a-kind comeback. The Washington fans in my area were already laughing at me when the Braves went down by nine runs early in the game. One of them even high fived me with sarcasm after a Nats homerun. I did not want to be a sore loser so I high fived him back. While the Braves were catching up, I tomahawk chopped with the Braves diehards in the game. A Nats fan tried to scold me to stop the chop. You can feel your team spirit more with adversity.
4. Watching John Smoltz's retirement ceremony
3. Ateneo coming back from a huge second half deficit to defeat their archrivals in the UAAP Final Four. I almost had a heart attack here. Goddamn huge swing of momentum that was. Kiefer is the man.
2. Being able to watch live games in Turner Field on Chipper's final year. Living in Atlanta on Chipper Jones’ (one of my favorite baseball players ever) final year = Priceless. The Atlanta crowd cheered and bled for the team on 2012. I am proud to be a Braves fan
1. Ateneo Blue Eagles winning their 5th straight title. How many people get to experience their team winning consecutive championships for half a decade? Masarap talaga maging Atenista.
Top 5 Most Depressing Sports Lowlights
5. Ateneo Lady Eagles lose to the La Salle Lady Spikers in the UAAP Women's Volleyball Finals. This was expected since DLSU swept the eliminations so it did not feel that horrible losing to our archrivals
4. LeBron James' Miami Heat wins the NBA title. I hate Miami’s Three Colluding Amigos. However, you have to hand it to LeBron who matured for the big thing. He earned it and we got to witness greatness.
3. Manny Pacquiao lost to Juan Manuel Marquez. This was tough. When Manny lay seemingly lifeless in the ring, it felt like hours. This match was equivalent to Bill Simmons’ Stomach Punch Game. Manny literally put down his guard. However, this was not the worst setback for me. I quickly came to senses and accepted defeat. It was a clean win for Marquez after all. And he earned it.
2. Atlanta Braves get eliminated in the Wild Card game in MLB. This stings. After watching them play a superb regular season, they got eliminated after losing just one game. I hated the Wild Card format even before the season started. It was tougher that it was against the St. Louis Cardinals – the same team that killed our playoff hopes in 2011. I know that they earned this win, but the infamous blown call by the umpires made it sting harder.
1. New England lost to the cocky New York Giants in the Super Bowl. I hate these New York Giants. First, they ended our perfect season in 2007. Now, they defeat us again in a Super Bowl where that lucky Eli Manning got to throw a prayer of a deep pass. It does not help that they just had a 9-7 regular season record and are cocky as hell. Remembering how a drunk mess I was during Super Bowl then frustrates me up to now. Gah! Let’s move on.
No matter how many bad things happened in 2012 (I haven’t even discussed Duke’s 1st round upset yet), I will still treasure it as a very good year in sports. Let’s face it – you have a higher probability of seeing your team lose. But if your team wins the championship, you throw all these bad things out of the window. I actually should not be complaining when my team loses. For God’s sake, I have witnessed a championship on at least one of my sports teams since 2007. That’s six freaking years. Even Boston fans (the luckiest bunch in the past decade) could not say the same thing.
Top 3 Cars I Drove (narrowed to three because I don't want to enumerate almost all of the cars I drove)
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| Me with the Mustang I drove |
2. Honda CRV. Love what you currently drive. This is the year I got to appreciate SUV’s. I thought it gives you spacing problems but the truth is, you can see things more accurately. You also can breathe easier when you pass by flooded areas.
1. Ford Mustang. It’s a mothereffin’ muscle car! I love how it accelerates. Yes, it burns a lot of gasoline but #YOLO. It has kickass sounds as well. The best thing: random strangers fall in love with it. Oh yes.
After living in the United States for seven months this year, I did not want to go back to Philippines yet. I never missed the Manila traffic, pollution and weather. I always get sick in the Philippines. However, I also realized that there is no place like home. Yes, most of my bucket list items were crossed off when I was in the United States. However, nothing beats living in a place where you have the same race of people. I love the Philippines. Shown below are the rest of my Top Five Lists of 2012.
Top 5 Places in Atlanta/Georgia
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| Sunset at Turner Field |
5. Stone Mountain Park. One of the few “natural” wonders in Georgia. I also liked the laser show because it gave me the country feel of Georgia. I am not a country guy but a little bit of its ambience every now and then would not hurt.
4. Tin Lizzy's Cantina. My favorite bar not named Taco Mac. This place is always interesting because people get more drunk than they usually do. This was the first place where I saw a man getting stepped on by the bouncer because he was already getting wild. If you are not into seeing something crazy, you can watch sports on any of the bars HD TV’s. #goodtimes
3. Piedmont Park. Parks are what make metro America cooler than metro Philippines. You can jog around or appreciate nature’s beauty in these parks.
2. Our customer’s office. Because it is a good-looking campus and is a cool office to work on. I missed that place a lot.
1. Turner Field. Pick one: 1) See the popular tomahawk chop done by Braves fans. 2) See the Atlanta skyline. Sunset clouds are very beautiful in Turner Field. 3) Watch superb baseball. 4) Have a good tour of America’s oldest baseball franchise. 5) “Sightsee” the southern belles. Optional) Watch a chick flash her breasts at the Jumbotron (Yes, this actually happened while I was waiting for the fireworks display in one of the games).
Top 5 Underrated Things I Like in the United States
On the Cusp: Watching multiple movies at AMC Theatres / HD TV's that are actually showing TV shows in HD. (You have to pay extra Php500 to have three HD channels in the Philippines)
5. Dryer. No need to have problems if it rains outside. Problem is, I think my dryer damaged a lot of my clothes
4. Wide variety of beer choices. Or, Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Or, Taco Mac
3. Chick Fil-A. Yummy.
2. Planning your own trip. I know this can be done on any place, but it was more exciting in the United States as it was easy to plan because of Google Maps and Trip Advisor. Because of these, I was able to schedule my trips to maximize my experience. It was like being a travel agent for a place you haven’t visited before.
1. Weather! I love American weather.
Top 5 Celebrity Chicks
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| Where will Emily VanCamp belong in this list? | Credit: Revenge |
On the Cusp: Demi Lovato. She was the only reason why I bothered watching The US X-Factor. She is actually a fair judge. Most of the mentors blindly support their contestants while Demi was the only mentor who criticized her own. Kudos to her on that. Also, I am starting to like “Give Your Heart A Break” lately. I like its lyrics. I also liked the fact that she rocked the red lipstick. I don't know if it's just me, but is 2012 the Year of the Red Lipstick? A lot of women seem to use it (i.e., Anne Curtis, Coleen Garcia). And I like them wearing red.
5. Emily VanCamp. Who does not find “Revenge” star Emily that attractive? Answer: No one! I have girl friends who even have a crush on her.
4. Sarah Rafferty. Oh Donna. Not only is this redhead chick highly attractive, she is also talented. I hope she gets more screen time in the next seasons. #TeamDonna
3. Christina Hendricks. Upgraded Sarah Rafferty. Christina has been in this list for the past few years because of her sexiness and her acting ability. She further gets involved in 2012 with her acting on “The Other Woman” Andohbytheway, did I forget to mention that I have an irrational crush on redheads?
2. Miranda Kerr. I think she is the only chick in this list that earned her spot by good looks alone (by the way, I also put a One Victoria’s Secret Model Only rule here or else I would put Behati Prinsloo as well). For some strange reason, I find Miranda more attractive after she gave birth. She seemed to blossom more.
1. Taylor Swift. I did not put Taylor here so the girls won’t call me a pig. The main reason why Taylor ranks number 1 in 2012 was the following: I lived in the United States for seven months. Part of the experience was watching TV on Sunday nights where the only decent show is an awards night. I have watched Taylor appear in there in numerous occasions. She always had different looks (goddamn, is she a doll?!) and she just gets looking better every single time. Is it her eyes (I am an eye person after all)? Her eyebrows? Her nose? Hair? I don’t know!!! My head hurts. Taylor Swift is just adorable. I don’t care if she makes her boyfriends panic their way out of the relationship. All I care is they put Taylor in front of my TV set and we are all good. And yes, I have a secret liking on her voice.
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| Still don't believe me about Taylor Swift's changing face? |
Top 5 Beers
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| Best. Beer. Ever. |
4. San Miguel Beer
3. Fat Tire
2. Corona
1. Samuel Adams. Best. Beer. Ever.
Top 5 Songs
5. Maroon 5 – Payphone
4. Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train. Forgot to blog about this. This was my sports song of the year.
3. Foo Fighters - These Days
2. OneRepublic - Good Life
1. Lenka - The Show
Top 5 Movies (“Skyfall” and “The Hobbit” are not included because I missed those movies)
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| Credit: Ted |
5. Jeff Who Lives At Home. Underrated movie featuring Jason Segel and Ed Helms. It was a short and sweet film showing a lazy homeboy going for redemption.
4. The Grey
3. The Avengers. It is just at #3 because I expected more and let’s be honest – the film was not able to focus on character development that much (I know it’s tough but it could be done). It was still the cool movie of the year.
2. Dark Knight Rises
1. Ted. This was a simple but extremely funny movie. I know some people do not find this type of humor acceptable but I liked how they put a lot of references in the movie. And of course, any time you have a teddy bear that cusses, does drugs and runs at Fenway Park, you have got to put the movie to #1.
Top 5 TV Shows
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| Zou Bisou Bisou | Credit: Mad Men |
4. Game of Thrones. A dwarf outsmarting a war tactician for life is always good. OK, let’s stop the sarcasm. I still liked how Tyrion defended King’s Landing because I love wise ass moves. This could have ranked higher if I did not read the book ten thousand years ago though.
3. Homeland. And we reach the Big Three of this year’s TV. “Homeland” was peaking when it started becoming sloppy. It still provided very good drama. But as Grantland’s writers said, “Homeland” lives on its plot twists and events alone. The same could not be said for the other two TV shows, which you can appreciate even if the TV is on mute or you just want some artistry.
2. Breaking Bad. Superb in-your-face TV. Aside from the fact that I am biased on “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” actually matches up well with its AMC peer. I love it that this show continues to impress up to its fifth season. No off-season at all.
1. Mad Men. It was tough for “Mad Men” to beat the best TV season of all-time, but Season 5 was still great in its own regard. Don Draper’s inner struggle on how to be a better husband; Joan Holloway’s attempts at being relevant post-pregnancy and post-separation; Lane’s pride and how it consumed him; and Peggy’s threshold on being Draper’s employee all made this season memorable.
Top 5 Scenes in TV
5. Ted's speech to Robin about 'making an ass of yourself' in How I Met Your Mother
4. The Train Scene in Breaking Bad
3. Peggy's Resignation Scene in Mad Men
2. 15 Minutes of Interrogation Hell in Homeland
1. The Jaguar Pitch in Mad Men
Biggest Winners of 2012
On the Cusp: Washington Redskins for stealing RG3. This could get higher but it depends on Robert Griffin’s health through the years.
5. Ateneo Blue Eagles. Five championships. That is half a decade.
4. Juan Manuel Marquez. For finally beating Manny Pacquiao on a very decisive manner.
3. Obama. Duh?
2. PSEi and the Philippine Economy. What a boom year for Philippine stocks! And, we get to be named as one of the fastest rising economies in Asia. I feel proud of being a Filipino.
1. LeBron James. Why do I have to end the blog with this? Shucks. Oh well… my goal is always to have an impartial side when analysing things under the sun, right? LBJ ascended to the NBA’s greats in 2012 not only by winning his most coveted NBA ring, he also provided a performance for the ages. By now, we can at least say that LeBron belongs to the Top 15-20 of all-time. The lesson: Don’t let setbacks or failures lead you to the dark side. You always have choices in life. LeBron chose the right path by improving further and rising from adversity. We should too. Happy New Year, everyone.
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