Atlantan Fanalyst

It has been quite some time when I last wrote a full blog entry about my personal life. Ever since I went the sports/pop culture route in 2008, I have avoided writing about myself. This is because most people won’t get to relate with it or I might end up overblowing the story to the point that it becomes controversially misunderstood. The latter part is more forgivable if I am discussing current events as compared to talking about my personal life.

Also, I do not want to broadcast my personal life. I know that our writings reflect something about ourselves, but if you have been following my write-ups, you might have noticed that I put some spice to it – something that I won’t be doing normally.

Another no-no for me in blog topics is to discuss my work. I usually do not talk about it because it dances near the line of being unprofessional. The most you could get from me when I talk about my work is the generic “I have been busy” remark, which is something 99.9% of employees experience. I may have avoided discussing my work in my journals, but that does not mean that I do not like my work. I love my work but my passion on it lies on doing it more than on writing about it in the blogosphere.

In this writeup, I will deviate from the usual and discuss about my personal life and something about work.

Sorry if I am a bit vain on this blog. Hey, it's a personal blog!

When I was a kid, the first time I got to watch a game that features team sports was the Game 6 of the 1992 World Series that featured the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays. I sided with the eventual losers – the Atlanta Braves. They lost the Finals but it was just the start of my fandom for the franchise. Armed with an impressive pitching rotation, the Braves became one of the most dominant baseball squads in the 1990s.

One of the reasons why I liked the Braves was because they had a cool city name – Atlanta. Toronto sounded like “torotot” that was why it did not pique my interest. Hey, I was just a kid then… I had shallow reasons. Because Atlanta had such a cool name and the Braves had good-looking jerseys, I thought that they were America’s premiere city. It was my childhood dream to live in Atlanta at least for a short time.

I continued to root for the Braves up to the present time. Their 1995 World Series victory would easily rank in my personal top 5 best sporting moments. Three years ago, I was planning to buy a jersey of one of my favorite athletes. No matter how I love basketball, the jersey did not belong to an NBA or UAAP player. The jersey was Greg Maddux’s Braves jersey. I now have his jersey and his autographed baseball. That was how the Braves were significant to me.

My Maddux jersey and autographed baseball

Thus, when I received news that I would be working in Atlanta, Georgia next year, I was ecstatic. After all these years, I would end up working in Atlanta after all. It was a childhood dream come true. Thanks to my manager and to my company (Hewlett Packard), I have the chance to watch the Braves play in Turner Field. And the best thing was, I can watch Chipper Jones – the last remnant of the 1990’s dynasty – because he did not pursue retirement this year.

Me wearing my Chipper Jones jersey. I hope I get to watch him next year

Why am I writing about this anyway? This is because my write-ups might change perspective in the following year. I might focus on the Atlanta Braves or I might discuss the American college sports scene as well. (As if my blogs have never been so Americanized already!) I do not know how it will go – I might be too busy in household or on work or whatever that I would be doing then – I might produce fewer articles. But, I will try to change the perspective of this blog to bring something unique.

Do not worry though. I will still delve into the usual topics – UAAP basketball, NBA, MLB, NFL, TV shows and movies.

If you were expecting something crazy that I would discuss about personal life or work, sorry to disappoint you. I am sorry for being corny (by discussing something that is already officially announced). My intentions were just to give a heads up on the possible shift of my blog topics.

I am now starting to ask myself: should I begin rooting for the Falcons and the Hawks as well?

Maybe, as my second teams. The Atlanta Hawks (circa 1990s that featured Mutombo, Blaylock and Steve Smith) were once my favorite Eastern Conference team after all. I would have rooted for Matty Ice and company had New England or Green Bay been eliminated in the NFL playoffs last year. It is not far-fetched. But still, I remain as a New England/Green Bay and Utah fan in NFL and NBA respectively.

Sentimental Value

OK, I will share something about my personal life. It has been a while after all – that and there was nothing interesting to share. For most of my life, I have been living with my closed ones. The longest time I have been away from home was a month. Thus when I learned I was about to leave the country for a year, I could not help but miss the things here in the Philippines. Do not get me wrong – I really wanted to experience living in another place for quite some time. This was the same analogy that analysts said of LeBron James (oh Jeff, what a terrible example) when he was choosing his next NBA team in the summer of 2010. If you have experienced living in one place your whole life, there is a chance you would want to experience the adventure of living somewhere else – at least for a little time. This is why friends of my age love going to tours and experience different cultures. If you want an idea of great places to stay on, check out my friend Teng’s blog site - http://tengturista.blogspot.com/

I have always been a sentimental person. I sometimes find it hard to let go. This was why I could relate a lot to Jack of “Lost.” I wanted to savor the next few days with my family and friends because I will surely miss them. Not only that, I am also attached to things I own. This is why I have a Greg Maddux jersey and baseball, Ateneo championship shirts (in every year we win the championship since 2002), and I have dozens of collectibles at home. Yes, there is a sentimental side of me. Of the things I own that I have been the most attached with, it would easily be my car – a 2002 dark green Honda Civic.

When I began driving in 2006, it was the one and only automobile that I have ever used. I learned driving using that car. The engine died numerous times during those days. The hanging parts of the roads were a nightmare to me. I even scratched the car multiple times before I fully learned to maneuver the car correctly. Slowly, I learned how to “tame” the car. Driving it soon became mechanical – like it was already a part of my body. It became my companion for the past five years.

Through that span, I experienced several mishaps – or what I now call “experiences.” These were the things that me and my car have gone through:

•    Flat tire during a rainy midnight. This was the first time I experienced seeing how the tires were changed. Thanks to the helpful gasoline boys in C-5 Caltex.
•    Flat tire after it fell under a freaking hole near our village. I was working from home that day and just decided to buy snacks at a nearby convenience store. Unfortunately, the hole in the ground was well covered by plants so I did not notice it. I had to ask help from tricycle drivers to carry my car out of the hole. It was the first time I experienced changing tires. The problem was, the wheel bolt got stuck and broken so I could not remove the tire.
•    My front under guard fell after I left the parking. This happened when I overparked. The security guard in Shangri-La parking helped me in hooking it back to the car.
•    My side mirror got smashed after the stupid driver (yes, I am still bitter up to now because he ran away) of an armored car (at red light) hit my car which was comfortably stopped at the middle of the road.
•    My car received various scratches after I got stuck in the middle of an “Alay Lakad” while I was heading home on Holy Thursday of 2008.
•    Car battery got drained after faulty fix was done on one of the windows. I had to remove the negative switch every time I parked the car to ensure that the car battery did not get drained then.
•    Car battery almost got fully drained after I left the car’s hazard lights on. Thanks to the security guard of Makati Med who helped me fix it.
•    Its ball joint got too defective (hence the cracking noises) after several times of driving it in that pothole-infested C-6. I hate the construction contractor who irresponsibly constructed that road.
•    Car’s transmission fluid was drained after the container was destroyed when I tried to shut the hood by myself. I did not know that the electrician who fixed my headlight forgot to put the container down. It was scary to maneuver the car after this happened.

These were pretty much embarrassing moments but I was able to have my car fixed as soon as possible. My car continued to become reliable even after these happened. I charge everything to experience. Most of these actually occurred in my first two years.

When I learned I was to leave the country, one of the things that came to mind was that I will be missing my car. As it is already quite old, the chances of it being sold by the time I return to the Philippies are high. I wanted to enjoy the last days of driving my “road best friend.” I even plan to take pictures with it just to serve as evidence that I once drove that well-trusted vehicle. No matter how many stupid mishaps I have had through the years, the “old chap” remained reliable performance-wise.  I also liked it a lot because the gasoline expenditure was affordable.

These were the memorable experiences I’ve had with that vehicle.

•    First date.
•    Car I rode for most of my college and work life
•    Graduation day.
•    Numerous gimiks and outings with my friends
•    When things go wrong and I wanted to reflect, it was the perfect personal space to be in.
•    Two to three hours every day when I want to relax my mind as I drive to and from the office.

There were so many memorable experiences I had riding it. The tons of memories remind me of the “How I Met Your Mother” gang’s narrative in the episode “Arrivederci Fiero.” I was there when my Honda Civic hit the 100,000 kilometer mark. I sometimes tap it as a gesture of “job well done” just like a man does to his dog. Yes, my car is just an object but because of the numerous experiences attached to it, it was tough to let go.

December 16, 2011. I woke up early on a day when we are supposed to have a Christmas party in my manager’s house. As I could not sleep, I tried to do a strenuous activity by cleaning my car. It deserves some cleaning before I leave it for a while (or for good). At 5 PM, I left the house to go to the party. I did some shopping and went to the place. It was at around 6 PM when I was driving smoothly in Rosario. It was a bit dark and boring. Then, BAM! I heard a shattering noise and I found myself struggling on controlling my car. I hit the freaking concrete barrier! By the time I was able to stop the car, the severe damage was done. The front wheel was totally wrecked. My car won’t be able to move and I had to have it towed.

In hindsight, I was thankful that I did not incur any injury. I was still relatively fortunate because something worse could have happened had I driven one more inch further to the non-reflectorized concrete barrier (that’s where our taxes go to!) But the sad thing was that, I might have driven that car for the last time. (In Michael Cole voice) “Not this way!” I still have several plans concerning that car in the next few days. Why did I carelessly drive it into that concrete barrier?! I do not want to say farewell to that car this way. Not this way.

My most recent (but hopefully not the last) picture of my car

Yes. Enjoying the last days with an object meant that much to me. It was heart-wrenching to prematurely end it – and in a nasty way by accidentally wrecking it. Ironically, at least I got to take a picture of it – in its awful state.

Up to that point, my trusty car kept me from harm as it was in balance when the accident happened. I was driving at 30 to 40 kph when the accident happened – something worse could have occurred.

Personally, I do not want to have the car sold because of sentimental reasons. These are pretty much the same ones that Marshall had when he insisted to have his old Fiero fixed (the only difference is that my Civic still has a chance to run more than a hundred thousand kilometres more). I would love to drive it again by the time I return some day next year. At least, say farewell to my “road best friend” one last time. With a good ending this time. Then, I would tap it and say “thanks and job well done, my well-trusted car.”

Arrivederci Civic.

This might be my last blog before Christmas Day so I would like to greet you a “Merry Christmas” in advance.

P.S. Are you not feeling the Christmas spirit recently? Do you want to do something meaningful this Christmas? I recommend you to donate to the Sendong victims. If you are a lazy ass who does not know where to donate like me, donate through text. Globe alerts its subscribers about it so I suggest you search through the pile of those annoying notification text messages and find that one meaningful text message.

Merry Christmas!