JAIJINSM: The Naked Truth

Reflections and Imperfections

2012-02-08T01:34:00.001+08:00

I have written my first article for 2012, which is a full disclosure of things that happened in 2011. Due to the sensitive nature and excessive use of expletives in this entry, a link to the original document will be emailed to you via reply to a request sent to jjmerginio@yahoo.com. Thank you.

Jai

2011: Year of the Rolling Pin

2011-12-20T00:41:00.002+08:00

So why do I call this entry "2011: Year of the Rolling Pin"? Because at a time where I had lumps, bumps and crumbs on my head, she was able to help straighten me out, just as a rolling pin straightens out the dough. So, this year's for you, Sweetie. And I'm hoping you'll take the next one too.

What Are You Thinking?

2011-12-13T02:11:00.000+08:00

Probably one of the most difficult questions that most women ask you is: What are you thinking?

I don't know why it's hard for women to understand that you really are thinking of nothing when you're caught staring blankly into space. The more difficult part? Seeing them get uneasy thinking that you're thinking of something that you don't wanna share. But really, there's nothing. Geez!

Just A Quick Entry Before I Sleep

2011-11-11T01:03:00.002+08:00

Have you seen the movie 500 Days Of Summer?

It's a good movie. It won awards. Now the story revolving around my relationship with Gianne Ang isn't in any way similar to the movie, but it did last 500 days.

Our first date was on a hot, humid August Monday in 2009, and ended on a cold December morning in 2010. I almost lost my life that day, twice.

Another scary coincidence: I flew to Los Angeles in December 22, 2009 to be with her for Christmas, her favorite holiday, and we broke up exactly a year later.

Another 12/22 is fast approaching, and so far, I have done things the right way.

No Rush.

Jet's Crash-Landing

2011-10-30T03:03:00.048+08:00

So here's what happened. Paresh, I know you're gonna call me a whiny li'l butch, but let me include my own bad fall in the story. haha...

So we started playing at around 7. There were already 10 of us, and I believe Jet (dakilang_waiter) was the 11th player to arrive. He sat by the bench, warmed up, and soon enough, the other guys showed up.

Score was then 8-5 in favor of Paresh's (gang_armani) team. I went for a layup, and landed on Paresh's heel. My foot slipped and rolled. Now my right ankle has been in bad shape in the last five years, but I usually recover from mild sprains and get back in the game after resting it for a few minutes. It was 7:30 PM.

This one was different. The moment my ankle twisted, my whole body started to follow. I fell on my butt, and lay down on the floor for a few seconds. I didn't think it was that bad, so I stood up and they carried me to the sidelines. I then walked down to our bench and checked it out. It looked normal, so I got into my shoes and walked it off. It felt different. It was like I was gonna faint, so I sat back down.

Moments later, the 1st game was over, and a new batch of players got up. I went up to the court, but Paresh told me to rest my foot, and check if I could play later in the game. I sprinted to the other end by the water fountain, and that's when I decided I wasn't gonna play anymore. There's just no way I could run with a foot that bad. When I turned around, I see Jet coming in hard, his jump was high (and he's also around 6 feet tall) and when he landed, he just crashed into the floor, and grabbed on to his knee. From 20 feet away, I could see it was really bad. This happened 10 minutes after my incident.

His left leg rotated externally and his patella, or kneecap, went out of its place. He was grimacing until he found a position where the pain was manageable. He didn't want to move it unless necessary.

Then we called for help, and in 15 minutes, Dasmariñas Village's Emergency Response Team arrived. By then, we already took a bunch of photos. :p

We all decided that I'll just follow the ambulance in Jet's car going to St. Luke's in Global City. So I got his car and we drove off. I called his mom from the car and informed them of what happened, and taht we were on our way to St Luke's. His mom said that it would be better if we just drove straight to the Philippine Orthopedic Center. So we did. But when we got to Guadalupe, his mom called me and they decided we should just head to East Avenue Medical Center, since the traffic caused by the construction along Quezon avenue cor. Araneta avenue would most likely be very heavy at that hour. We arrived at EAMC at around 9:05 PM.

I immediately filled out the admission form for Jet. I could still walk, so I didn't think I needed to have mine checked. Moments later, Jet's sister arrived, together with his mom. The ER didn't have ice, so we were just there, he was on the stretcher, and I was on a wheelchair. The Orthopedist finally came, and ordered for an IV line so they could start working on his knee. When the diazepam kicked in, they started slowly pulling and twisting on his knee. Realigning his left extremity, and massaging his patella back into place. Now with excruciating pain cause by procedures like this, some people would've screamed profanities, or other explicit R-18 words of wisdom, but the only word, yeah, word, that came out Jet's mouth was "Sparta!". And he said it Gerard Butler style. Haha.

Dumb and dumber:

I was already sitting on the bench, checking my ankle, when Jet, dribbling to warm up by the sidelines, accidentally lost control of the ball, hitting my ankle with it. Ouch right?

Here's something ouchier: I tripped on his affected leg walking away from him. :p Sorry again brotha.

We took more photos while waiting for the X-ray request to be paid for, which took quite a while. When my mom came, she noticed that my foot was already swollen. At that moment, I couldn't stand anymore. So I had my ankle checked, and an X-ray was also done.

Both results came back negative for any fractures, thank God. The doctor said that my sprain was a reaggravated old injury (true), since the bone formation was already very bad. It would take 10-14 days to fully recover. I give it five. :p

Jet's recovery, on the other had, will take longer. Although there were no fractures, there were torn ligaments. Doctors told him to take it easy on his left side for the next six to eight weeks, and should be immobilized for the tears to heal.

We left the hospital at around 10:40 PM.

The whole time we were there, the rest of the guys were cheking in on us, making sure everything we needed was covered. They made sure we got to the hospital safely, and that we both made it out of there okay.

End of the night, we were both thankful the injuries we sustained were not as bad as some could've had. We made risky plays, and we walked away with nothing but a bruised knee, ankle, but not egos. Chicks dig scars!!!--okay, we got no scars, but still, sports injuries? haha.

Team!

When It Stops Being About That: Part 2

2011-10-11T09:48:00.000+08:00

My definition surfaced during a time I was lost. I had no direction, and almost everything I did made no sense. I was a stranger to myself. I kept denying it to myself, my family, and even to my closest friends, but I was not in a good place. After a while, I reflected on how I've been living my life, and everything started to change. I wanted to pick up myself, piece by piece. Then she came. She didn't make me whole. She was the reason I wanted to make myself whole.

I made my intentions known the first opportune moment I had. And I would kill myself if I'm lying, but for the first time in my life, faced with a situation like this, I kept my calm, and did not act like the cunning, manipulative, whiny little brat I am used to turning into when things don't go my way. She was pretty clear about what her priorities are, and so was I. Her happiness comes first.

Many of these things are new to me. I am happy to have her friendship. I am happy to be giving, and not expecting anything in return. I don't even think it. i don't even try. It just happens. But when it does come to my consciousness, it seems never enough. There's just so much more to give. I have felt this way before about a person, but strangely it's just not the same, and it scares the shit out of me. Is this that thing everyone longs for?

Still, I am very much aware that things can go either way. All I can do now is be that friend she needs. After all, that's all she'll ever need to come home to.

But, as in any other relationship, shit happens.

To be continued...

When It Stops Being About That: Part 1

2011-10-04T00:39:00.002+08:00

The only asses I've slapped in the past 9 months are my teammates', and I only do that on the court, when they perfectly execute extraordinary plays. Other than that, the most action I've gotten since January the 4th is a hug from an acquaintance. And that was in late June.

Many would consider this a dry spell already. I am one of those people. But there's a reason I've been holding out. And at first, it was to show and prove that I have changed. I've tried to be loyal, and loving, and faithful. Eventually, this reason turned, and slowly became personal. I realized that I wanted this for myself. I have been in two relationships, where couples' stuff has had to be a staple. I can straightforwardly say this because that's how I started both relationships. I'm not even going to deny it. I was this person who always anticipated quality alone time. I was always a person who liked things like that.

For nine months, I have been golden. I haven't gotten close to starting what would've been a big mistake. At least to me it is. Before an opportunity even presents itself, I stop it. Not try, I do. I stop it. And it was all worth it.

Had I done these things, two possible scenarios would have come up.

First, I would end up being satisfied with a lowly, unfulfilling life, with shallow, superficial relationships that won't last longer than my mother's cheese. I would end up hurting than pleasing more people and be branded a player. And if I did, it would haven taken me more time to be ready for another serious relationship, and that means possibly missing "the window". I would never want that.

The other thing that could have happened is me breaking down, not accepting the fact that I have resorted to uncomplicated affairs of the intimate kind. Not that I have intimacy issues, but there's a reason I don't do one night stands, and unfortunately, I recently took down that entry. It would've been a good reference. But here's a summary anyway...

I don't like the risks and complications that come with it. If I got in bed with someone I didn't care about, I'd end up throwing up in the morning, or right after I'm done. And to be totally honest, I threw up once right after, and I threw up once while kissing--not even that close yet. Those two instances were reason enough for me to decide it's not a thing I want to continue doing, so I firmly stand by it, seven years to this day.

Then comes someone you actually never expect would impact your life just like that. At first, she might be just that stranger whom you say hi to every now and then. The next day, you start to like her more than yourself. It's like you'll never know what hit you. It makes abstinence all the more worth it.

To be continued...

So You Think You Can Still Write (Stuff Like That)...

2011-09-29T01:12:00.000+08:00

Don't ask me why I took down 90% of my articles. The reason is so amazing you'd be overwhelmed.

It's part of turning over a new leaf, entering a new chapter which all of us in the beginning wished would never end. We all have to stop at one point.

But no one says you can't start again. And that's exactly what I'm gonna do, except this time, I'm in a situation I really want to be in. And everything that will follow during this chapter will be really good. And wholesome. And behaved. Because that's what it's going to be all about.

Watch out for it. Coming really soon.

Beyond the Box

2011-08-27T23:38:00.004+08:00

This is a night i'll forever look back on as the night I wore Blue.

It's a Friday, and I was still at the mall late in the afternoon, and that was just bad decision making. I was going to Charlie Paw's launch of Beyond the Box, and I was an idiot. Leaving the house at 6:30 for a scheduled 7:30 opening? Who am I kidding...

So I got in the car, drove off and in less than ten minutes, hit my first jam. It was on the Pier 18 gate, and trucks were on a tight gridlock. I was stuck there for 15 minutes. I was ok with it, since I got like 40 or so minutes left. When I got to South Harbour though, another massive jam. I hit three more, one before stopping by at Palacio de Manila to drop off some business cards for our photography group, and two more after that. I eventually got to Resorts World at around 8:40.

I literally ran from the entrance, to the escalator, and around the hall. My eyes were on the stage, with Elbert Cuenca and Janeena Chan hosting the event, when I heard someone call out my name. It was Fr. Allen, who led the blessing of the store earlier. We chatted for a few minutes, then I excused myself to look for the restrooms. Good thing my friend, Nikki, was there standing in front of Murrays. She saw me and she let me use theirs. After that, I went back in, and Fr. Allen and I finally got to eat.

There were a couple of celebrities present, and some familiar faces too. From PhilMUG, there was Crissa Yu-cmsy27, Mike Antigua-Mykolant, Wacky Villanueva- Lakbay888, Glenn Santos- Shinrai, Elbert Cuenca, Leo Castillo, Geraldo, and of course, the man of the hour, Chalie Paw.

L-R: Me, Glenn, Mike and Wacky

With Crissa and her sister

Anyway-the store. It was a pretty cramped night, and people were just flocking around the discounted gadgets and accessories. Everyone wanted something, and I'm pretty sure they did get something. Kids were also present, explains why the alarms attached to the MBPs sounded 7 times too many during our stay inside the store.

Mike, Wacky, Glenn and I stayed for about an hour inside the store, just talking about random stuff, and also listened to Elbert's mini-review of the Samsung Galaxy S 2. It looked gorgeous btw, but iOS-you just can't beat it.

After our mini-meet, I went back down to meet Nikki, who worked in Murray's, a cajun restaurant, ordered take out - which she used her employee discount on, haha.

Me and Nikki Palma at Murray's New Orleans Pub

I then drove back home, but made two more stops. One to meet with my group, and another at Caloocan City Medical Center. I went home to a baking Danica, and her scarlette cake was D-Lish. Saturday, stayed home all day. Slept for hours, edited some pictures, and wrote this blog entry, which I am sure, will disappoint the Jism fans who have been waiting for Week 4: PhilMUG edition. haha.

Beyond the Box is located at the third level of the Resorts World Manila Mall, right on top of the escalaor, on the right side.

Enjoy the long weekend guys!

Males. It's What We All Are...

2009-11-02T21:22:00.004+08:00

Hello. I'm back, and it's always nice to be back. Now before I publish the sequel to "Dismember The Titans", here's a little something from my "Dude Thread: Females, Do Not Enter" in PhilMUG to cheer you up. Enjoy!

Fact: More women members/Mac users have actually viewed my thread than men since I started it. Although they have not posted a single reply on the thread.

MEN’S RULES

We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules* from the male side.

These are our rules:

Please note... these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Breasts are for looking at and that is why we do it. Don't try to change that.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Saturday = sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! JUST SAY IT!

1. ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine, Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as:
Sex,
Sports, or
Cars

1. You have enough clothes

1. You have too many shoes

1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.

1. Thank you for reading this; Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight, but did you know men really don't mind that? it's like camping.

Personally, I agree with hmm...concept number 1?
-Jai

AUP 101: Nostalgic Canton Party

2008-10-19T22:01:00.000+08:00

AUP or Adventist University of the Philippines is an MSG free county, except for the abundance of pancit canton everywhere, it's 1% tolerance for students. From kiosks to dorm mates, it is SOLD!

The usual looking PC is the noodles with the seasoning on top, stir, toss it the way you want. Then the add-ons come in. First is the ever hot Hot-Sauce. Makes your PC turn from golden yellow to hot red. next is the girl-favorite fried egg on top honey! Then some just get the half moon(half a boiled egg.) OT: weird as it is, some take their noodles, yes, the one with soup, with fried eggs, not boiled ones. Anyway, that's how it is in the kiosks.

The PC party which happens in the dorms is a whole different story. Lights on or off, everybody can cook a pack-o-PC using almost anything. From water heaters to camping stoves, the heat is on! question is, do we actually have pans in the dorm rooms? No my darling, we used buckets in where we wash our clothes, or huge basins. why? Because 35-40 packs of LMPC just wont fit in anything else!!!

Now the process of consumption. During the first few minutes of the life of a bowl of PC, it stays in the huge container. Everyone stands around it, waiting for their serving. Once it hits your bowl, it looks like this:

A few forkfuls later, your supply depletes to this level, and everyone gets anxious about the portions. Don't they believe it's fair that I get twice the amount due to uncompensated labor? Man, what's with these people!

The last stage is where everyone finally agrees that I should not cook eve

rytime...and yet, I always do.

After three months of partying, something strange has happened to me. I gained powers! Everytime I pissed on the wall, it turned red! Oh My, super UTI! I was immediately subjected to Ultrasound and several other tests, and after three weeks, I was back to normality. My Reddening powers were stripped, but I was happy because out of the 11 of us who had UTI, I was the only one who actually got it from her pancit...Back to the PARTY!

Morning RUN+

2008-07-16T22:19:00.000+08:00

I woke up early today to start a new morning regimen; to RUN. It was dark, and cloudy with a little sun. I wanted to wait for the sun to rise completely but it was already 6 o'clock. So I started out. There were so many people already commuting so there was moderate traffic on Samson rd. and there was also a commotion. I wondered what was going on but I decided to move along.

When I reached University Hills, the sky got darker a slight drizzle started. I went on and

along with some old guys. Then it started to actually rain. I was really pissed because it was my first day and it had to be like this. That's when I realized it was a good thing because I didn't notice there were some girls who were also running but had to take shelter at the clubhouse. I thought I should go over a and introduce myself and my new(virgin) adizero but I didn't want to lose focus. Continued running.

An hour later or two laps later, I was really drenched from the rain. It was so heavy that my iPod shuffle was soaked, and the in-ear phones weren't working anymore and even my shoes, which are amazingly comfortably lightweight and flexible, were wet(on it's devirginization). That's when i decided to go back home. It was another 15 minutes of running and I was so tired when I reached the gates. Thank God for a good breakfast. After a hearty meal, I went to

room and guess what, fell asleep. Then I heard knocking, my mom's home(a different story yet to be told).

At 8pm tonight, I also played badminton with my two stepbrothers, Daboy and Dee, and Droid. I couldn't move, I knew why but the real question is :Am I not gonna be sick tomorrow?

jan