radio gaga

i'm still behind on catching up on my sleep. yes, i'm one of those people who count sleep debt.

i should have known that a night out with bubz meant the following: coffee, massage, and then downing bottles of beer at the bar.

not that there's anything wrong with it. well, maybe a little. if i am going to age, i want to age well. and bubz's routine is not the way to do it. lol.

well, massage is one way. coffee is okay too. the bar scene can be okay. but not all mixed up in one night.

a few nights ago, bubz laid it out for us. by us, i meant bernz and me. it was to be in the following order: coffee, then massage, then the bars.

i was slightly disappointed that the spa we were going to was the birdland. it was not a spa that i was expecting to have a relaxing wholesome massage. and i was not wrong. the therapist assigned to me was a hustler. quick to cut to the chase, he almost immediately massaged my balls, then my cock, and asked if i wanted a happy ending.

no, i said firmly. i'm not here for that, i wanted to add, and your fingernails are too long and remind me of a woman's hands. but i kept quiet.

i glanced at the time. he spent less than 40 minutes 'massaging' me. but what did i expect at this place? i would've probably changed my mind if the therapist was hot. but he wasn't.

and he kept disturbing my nap by tweaking my nipples. it was annoying. but i slept for a bit anyway. in short, the massage i got was terrible.

good thing that i was able to accumulate points that it turned out free.

bernz joined me afterwards, all quiet and contemplative. god knows what went on his mind. bubz took longer. i could only guess what went on inside, as he was the first to get in his cubicle yet the last to come out.

let's go for a nightcap, bubz said.
yeah right, nightcap, i thought while rolling my eyes. i knew what it meant. it meant going to the bar and drinking beer and cruising. ugh.

so there we were, bubz, bernz, and me at the bar. having that 'nightcap', according to bubz. i now have very low tolerance for alcohol, unlike when i was in my teens. and soon i was flushed. maybe it was the redness of my face that caught the attention of several people. but let's be clear. i wasn't there to pick up guys. i was there out of respect to bubz, who does this ritual each and every time we go out. it never changes. and i was insane to think it would.

one guy was bolder than the other 3, and came over. you're cute, he said, and would it be okay if he went home with me. and mind you, he wasn't fugly.

but i was not in the mood for one night stands, so i just smiled back at him and said, maybe another time.

he smiled, and leaned in. when you go home, let me know, because i want to make sure you get home safely, he said.

sure, i said. and i turned around to face my inquisitors.

why'd you let him go? bubz wailed as not-fugly guy left.
i'm not here to pick up guys for one night stands, i retorted.
who said it was? it could be the start of something beautiful, bubz insisted with a vehement shake of his head.
bernz merely smiled inscrutably.
bubz rolled his eyes.
hurry up and finish those bottles and let's get out of here, i shot back at bubz.
not before you do something with not-fugly guy, bubz glared.
fine, i'll kiss him when we leave, i said, now hurry up!

and so i did kiss not-fugly guy when we left fifteen minutes later, but not before he asked for my number. i had the feeling i gave him the wrong number. i was sleepy and slightly intoxicated. i think i scared him off by kissing him impulsively. lol.

bernz insisted i was drunk. i like to say i was tipsy. bubz went off to go to another bar, being the social bar-fly that he is. as we stood in the taxi lane, i noticed 2 guys looking at bernz and me. one was sort of cute, with a ponytail. he came over, but i looked away, so he ended up talking to bernz. turns out, they were asking where a club called the host 78 was.

i've heard it was nearby but i've never been. a third guy overheard them, and joined the other 2. bernz gave instructions, and they went off and got into a taxi. being tipsy, i called bubz immediately.

i remember you wanted to go to the host and review it, i said.
yes i did, he replied.
well, it's nearby, so you wanna go?
wait for me.

so there we were, inside the place. turns out to be one of those macho dancing clubs, but without dicks showing, hard or otherwise. and the men? not really my type. a little too short, a little too trendy, and not muscular at all. the guys that had asked for directions turned out to be macho dancers called in to audition, and were done auditioning by the time we arrived.

some queens were there, obviously enjoying the show, with a few of the dancers at their table. the curvaceous floor manager sashayed over in a scandalously scarlet dress.

which ones do you fancy? she intoned in a deep voice to bubz.
bubz smiled and shook his head.
just sit there and i'll have them all go to the stage and you can pick from there, she commanded.

there were none that we fancied.

and the whole place was too... ho-hum. it wasn't exciting. it wasn't even hip. i think i saw old-fashioned ruffled curtains. a few framed artwork hung on the rough cement wall. i guess they were not allowed to paint over the wall. one of the wall hangings was a framed needlepoint of a ballerina. there was also a framed poster of mickey mouse. maybe they're some sort of metaphor to the penis? i didn't get it though.

if it were up to me, i'd have painted the whole walls black (or scarlet red), put in mirrored walls onstage, get some metallic accents and phallic decor. and no blacklights at all. get hot wait staff. and more diverse dancers. the beer was expensive. san mig light at 85?

someone should finally open a dance club here that has hot men in their underwear dancing in cages, i thought for the millionth. but would the concept be too western for us pinoys?

we stayed at the place for 30 minutes and then we left to go home.

having stumbled home at 3 in the morning, i made a half-assed attempt at sleeping soundly. but i failed and merely closed my eyes, drifting in and out of consciousness. and all too soon, i woke up at 6, with still a buzz on and my mouth tasting like a rat died inside.

all in all, the whole affair left me a little hung over, a little exhausted, and a little ambiguous.