All Facades Dropped
It is with mixed emotions that I land here, on Filipino soil, after spending a few months on home Canadian turf. The Philippines is certainly not the most polarizing of countries, but when one has invested a couple of years in a place and thus established roots, to plunge oneself again in that reality necessarily comes with a certain dose of reminiscing. Good or bad.
Lots of hidden activity is tucked underneath filipino bridges : markets, motorbikes, illicit activities, homeless folks seeking the shade...
The overwhelming sweat. The nasty odors. Omniscient poverty. A multitude of Filipinos, desperately pushing on through the urban reality as they are trying to make ends meet ; one would have to be completely self-absorbed to not feel this daily suffering...
Perhaps this puzzling site of the magnificent overview spoiled by abandoned trash adequately represents my mixed emotions...
And of course, the gem of seeing a random goat roaming around in the midst of the evening traffic
Filipino haven : within these mall walls, free air con, fluffy dreams of buying whatever desired or even courteous meetings
Yet, a distinct smile paints itself on my face : it feels good to be back on Asian soil
It feels good indeed. Despite the humidity, heat and general mayhem of Cebu, it is with a sense of serenity that I calmly walk through the city. As if I belong : a stranger rightfully passing by...
Stayed there for a week, in this top of the hillside hotel in Cebu. 35$/night.
One of the mansions overseeing the city. My first thought : a paranoid drug lord living behind the fort-like-gated-prison, a thought somewhat confirmed by the Filipino name engraved on its wall...
You didn't think I was going to leave out a hoops pic, did you
Nevertheless, this could never be my home. Despite the amazing people living here, us, foreigners, remain strangers in Asia, treated as such and forever reminded of our white distinctness, for good and for bad... I have spent enough time in this country and am certainly glad to fly to Vietnam in a couple of weeks ; after all, the latter figures in the title of this thread
Da Pokerzzz
Unfortunately, being nomadic does come with certain repercussions, at least for yours truly who struggles to reconcile movement with inner stability while playing on the felt... Not a huge downswing, tbh, just a 3 weeks B/E stretch followed by a solid week (we stayed in the quiet hotel - see pic above - which made it easier to keep the mind on the grind
Also got smacked with some life run bad lately, as my forever demonstrative clumsiness found new boundaries :
- Exposing my ipod classic (that had been with me for nearly a decade and had accompanied me to quite a few tables across the globe) to the morbid turbines of a laundry machine (I am sorry buddy
).
- Stepping on my glasses ;
DUHHH!!!
- Forgetting one item or another in just about every hotel I set foot in... Jesssusss Murphy
Yet, my run bad is a poor justification for making a habit out of bringing my C game to the tables
Example :
1-2 Edgewater
Villain has just joined the game 2 orbits ago, has played 3 hands and seems capable, as he previously double barreled, only to fold to a turn raise.
Villain limps from the
CO, I look down at 8
5
in
SB and decide to complete,
BB checks his option.
Flop (
6$)
4
4
6
I don't like X-calling, so a lead seems quite obvious here ; I pick up
6$, realizing too late that a
4$ bet would have a similar fold equity at a lower cost...
BB folds,
CO raises to
20$, I snap make it
55$ (again,
40-45$ would of accomplished the same result
), villains shoves, I sigh-fold. FML
I actually like how I played the hand, but I did make 2 compounding sizing errors and perhaps indulged in a little FPS (
1-2 yo, no need for fancy play
). Anyhow, you get the drift... Hope to fix this mental lapse before the upcoming APT...
edit : The APT has been cancelled
I am bummed out about this, but it has also made me realize that I need to balance online with some live action, even a
1-2 game would do for a couple of nights/week...
edit 2 : Since writing this post, I have put the jet lag behind, settled somewhat onto Asian soil and have reinstalled some healthy habits to the grind. Results : my B game is back with flashes of A game, yet I still uncharacteristically dip into spurs of C and D game
But that will change
Run good all
Last edited by Dubnjoy000; 10-30-2015 at 10:02 AM.