I finally got my 90k mile service taken care of, which ran $800+ because they replaced the damn timing belt, which was a $270 hit. I've noticed that a lot of advertisements for used cars show the car with just under 90k miles, just so that the owner doesn't have to put his or her child's education on hold to pay for scheduled maintenance. I can't even cover that unless I find a job within the next month... my parents footed the bill. Man, I'm going to have to work a lot over the summer to become independent once again...
While waiting for my car, I drove my mom to Seafood City in West Covina. She said she wanted to buy me shrimp or something. I guess I can't argue with that. I walked through the entrance and I caught a glimpse of my reflection, spiky hair, ecko shirt, baggy jeans, and nike bball shoes... and then I looked around the store and it was like culture shock or something. There I was, probably sticking out like a porcupine (the hair). Everyone in the store was either Filipino or Mexican from what I could tell, and it seemed like worlds colliding (at least in my head). I guess I'm too used to the college atmosphere, where everyone's close to your age, and they dress close to similar and talk similarly. There all these people were, going about their business, sifting through ice packed fish, while I cruised around with my headphones on, observing and holding bags for my mom. It really brought me back, just remembering being there when I was young and all the things you notice that make your memories so distinct:
- the guy with the shirt with the geckos having sex all over the front in different positions (i know you've seen it before)
- the rip-off brand snacks like "Chiz Balls" (say that with an accent)
- Lido sardines, with the half-naked centaur (fully naked, if you count the horse part) on the back of the can (they changed the can... no more centaurs... booo...) My dad used to have them every morning
- the way people bump into you walk on by, but it's no big thing
- my mom trying to start random conversations with anyone that looked filipino, but usually failing
- the spam wasn't hidden away on some obscure shelf
- tyring to figure out what flavor of shrimp chips you haven't tried yet (they come in different flavors?)
- the rice aisle
I grew up knowing all this stuff, even though my parents didn't teach me tagalog, and even if they didn't watch TFC, and I was never in PCN, things like the seafood store bring me back, make me think about my culture, and how separated I am from it now. Now my cultural experience is mostly under my control--I feel compelled to make sure I have something left to pass on to my kids someday.
One funny thing I noticed: I was taller than everyone in the store! I'm not even that tall! 5' 8 1/2" is only average height for guys, but I felt oddly tall in there... I'm used to feeling short. That's what happens when you have three 6 foot roommates. I looked for those lychee snacks that come in the screw top plastic jug, but I guess they stopped making them, because I couldn't find any. Those things were huge four years ago. After we got some pan de sal (in the white bag) we headed home...
$819... driving can suck sometimes.
While waiting for my car, I drove my mom to Seafood City in West Covina. She said she wanted to buy me shrimp or something. I guess I can't argue with that. I walked through the entrance and I caught a glimpse of my reflection, spiky hair, ecko shirt, baggy jeans, and nike bball shoes... and then I looked around the store and it was like culture shock or something. There I was, probably sticking out like a porcupine (the hair). Everyone in the store was either Filipino or Mexican from what I could tell, and it seemed like worlds colliding (at least in my head). I guess I'm too used to the college atmosphere, where everyone's close to your age, and they dress close to similar and talk similarly. There all these people were, going about their business, sifting through ice packed fish, while I cruised around with my headphones on, observing and holding bags for my mom. It really brought me back, just remembering being there when I was young and all the things you notice that make your memories so distinct:
- the guy with the shirt with the geckos having sex all over the front in different positions (i know you've seen it before)
- the rip-off brand snacks like "Chiz Balls" (say that with an accent)
- Lido sardines, with the half-naked centaur (fully naked, if you count the horse part) on the back of the can (they changed the can... no more centaurs... booo...) My dad used to have them every morning
- the way people bump into you walk on by, but it's no big thing
- my mom trying to start random conversations with anyone that looked filipino, but usually failing
- the spam wasn't hidden away on some obscure shelf
- tyring to figure out what flavor of shrimp chips you haven't tried yet (they come in different flavors?)
- the rice aisle
I grew up knowing all this stuff, even though my parents didn't teach me tagalog, and even if they didn't watch TFC, and I was never in PCN, things like the seafood store bring me back, make me think about my culture, and how separated I am from it now. Now my cultural experience is mostly under my control--I feel compelled to make sure I have something left to pass on to my kids someday.
One funny thing I noticed: I was taller than everyone in the store! I'm not even that tall! 5' 8 1/2" is only average height for guys, but I felt oddly tall in there... I'm used to feeling short. That's what happens when you have three 6 foot roommates. I looked for those lychee snacks that come in the screw top plastic jug, but I guess they stopped making them, because I couldn't find any. Those things were huge four years ago. After we got some pan de sal (in the white bag) we headed home...
$819... driving can suck sometimes.
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