Christmas has brought out the opportunitists in many people, specially the hard-up ones. What was once, is supposed to be and should always be a meaningful season has become just another excuse to make more money, party carelessly or go on retail therapy.

My mom, sister and I were in a mall the other day and needed to transfer to another mall. Since we were just dropped off there and didn’t want to have to fetch for the ride just for a less-than-5-minute drive, we decided to take a cab. We looked for the cab area but there weren’t many cabs there. The man managing the thing told us that traffic jams were everywhere so the cabs are getting stuck in traffic. We said we’d wait a bit. Then he said he’d take us to the other mall for Php150. 150 pesos. Cabs, by law, are required to have a meter which starts at 30 pesos. The trip we needed to make wouldn’t have cost 50. And here he was siezing the opportunity to shell off money from poor helpless people who do not have any choice. Well at least, that’s what he thought. For we were neither poor or helpless. And most importantly: we were not stupid.

Last night, we were held against our will inside a church during the last Misa de Gallo. The new priest whose turn it was to say the mass had this little project wherein children were going to carol us with songs and dances. Well and good. But last night, we couldn’t leave because right at the very end when the priest was supposed to bless us and end the mass, he had the children go in front and dance and sing. After of which, they would go among the seated people with little sacks of cloth where we were supposed to put money as “donations” to them. A mass, which is a solemn celebration, was not the time or place to do that. There already was the first collection which is standard in all Catholic churches: you just give any amount of money you can. On top of that, that said church also has a second collection which they say is for building the church (which looks all right to me). And then these kids come for another round. It’s just wrong and very opportunistic. And imagine those kids were dancing during the consecration.. How wrong.

I heard rumours about Jay Leno making fun of the Pope who spoke about about avoiding buying expensive gifts during Christmas and about its true meaning. I believe that JL had thought it funny, ironic even, that the Pope said all that and then went back to his “gold and marble apartment”. I think JL was under the impression that St. Peter’s Square and the stuff inside with all the scepters and chairs and vestments were symbols of materialism. He must be really running out of things and people to pick on for him to aim at such a pun only to completely miss the mark. Maybe he thinks Pope Benedict bought St. Peter’s Basilica because it was gold and pretty. I don’t know about you but to me, good comedians are witty and that it’s because of that that they make you laugh at the joke. Since when has ignorance been witty? I laughed a little all right- but not at the joke.

I haven’t really an ending to this. Just wanted to write about some stuff that’s been long overdue and I haven’t really written anything in a long time.

Anyway, today is Christmas eve. And for the family Noche Buena, I’m in charge of the cocktails. It’s just our family having the dinner at home tonight. It makes it so much more special and meaningful. Having too many people, in a way, makes for more distraction. As we always do it every year: closest family for Christmas and then everyone else for New Year. There’s always so many people to meet and have parties with. I know I do with my different groups of friends and relatives. There will be time for everyone so I like that we reserve Christmas Eve just for the family.

Oh yes. I got the Starbucks planner last night. It was funny, the barista seemed to be a little “out-of-it.” I order 4 drinks, meaning 4 stickers. So I pay up and he proceeds to stick the stickers onto the booklet thing. I get my planner because I completed the booklet and he sticks the remaining stickers onto my sisters booklet thing. But we receive only 3 drinks. So I come back to the guy who took my order and tell him that I was supposed to get 4 drinks and that he already gave me 4 stickers. Then he patted me on my arm! He had on this oh-lookie-aren’t-i-so-nice face and told me “It’s all right.” Meaning he thought he gave me an extra sticker and was being nice by letting me keep it. So I was like, “Um no, my sister wants her drink. You didn’t punch in her grande chocolate frap and she wants it.” He looked a bit flustered for a bit and then went to look for her drink. He finds it and asks me what name it was on and I told him my name. Then he gives it to me and says goodbye. I was like, “Um, I’ll have to pay for this……………..” and he was like standing there thinking. So I just handed him the money, trying hard not to laugh. And well, the end. Lol.

Oh yeah look at this. I’m sorry I just find it really really funny.. lol.

There were two big white men behind us and I couldn’t help over hearing them talk since they spoke with such loud voices. They were talking about the line being real slow and people cutting in and stuff (there weren’t really people cutting in, just people going to the front of the line because they have to cross the street). Then one of them said something about ‘important families’ being allowed to cut in line. And the other guy replied with ‘the caste system is just incredible.’

What caste system? I think they’re lost.. probably thought they were in India or something.
Anyway…
The queue moved and we found ourselves thankfully, finally second in line. First cab came, person before us went to it but the cab driver refused to give them a ride. Then a group of people who weren’t in line came to it but the security guard who was keeping the line in order told them to back off. He then called for people who lived nearby since that’s all the cab driver would take in. We shouted the place to the cab driver and he let us in.

On the way home, the driver told us that he would charge Php 60 for the ride. 60 for a ride that wouldn’t even take more than 40 under normal circumstances (normal- with the cab meter running). We told him the best we could give him is 50 but he kept insisting on 60 because it was going to be traffic and something about his having to come back and gas and stuff. None of which was our concern.

Well it wasn’t traffic and we only gave him 50 when we got home.

The thing is, his car had the orange sticker saying ‘meter tested and sealed’, so why didn’t he run it? And another, aren’t cab drivers forbidden to refuse civillians to ride in his cab? There’s like, a law about this if I’m not mistaken.

Cabs refusing people rides happen often but this guy was just so nasty I couldn’t let him pass.