Jack The Scribbler

Desperation — not necessity — is the mother of invention.
After all, it was desperation which forced me to look for a quick, cheap fix one night when I discovered that the sangria I bought — Maria Clara sangria produced by Destileria Limtuaco — was far too sweet for my taste.
The company’s sangria used too much sugar, making it taste like the sweetener used in taho, a local snack food made from tofu.
But then again, I can’t blame the company.
Majority of Filipinos like to have their food and drink sweet, explaining why local companies produce ham, wine, spaghetti sauces, and indeed — sangria — to suit market preferences.
Let me just say that I have nothing against Destileria Limtuaco and their products.
Fact is, I love their calendars, pictures of which can be found at the company’s website. However, the calendars are not large enough to be used for desktop wallpapers, an oversight that the company should rectify (that is, if it wants increased website visits).
Anyway, a few days before Christmas, I bought two bottles of Maria Clara sangria, which were priced lower than various imported brands.
Although I had tried, liked, and bought a foreign-made sangria before, I was prompted to buy locally when I was reminded that yes, a Philippine liquor company also made and sold sangria.
Besides helping the environment — foreign-made goods, however cheaper, incur more emissions since these need to be transported to our shores — buying Filipino also boosts the Philippine economy since local demand will encourage domestic firms to invest more in their operations.
More investments for local operations creates new jobs. New jobs increase demand for goods, which in turn, will lead to a virtuous cycle since companies will invest more for local operations.
But I digress (and too much at that).
When I finally took a sip of Maria Clara sangria, I realized that I wasn’t only endangering my liver, I was also increasing my risk for diabetes.
So I thought about a compromise, which in some way involved the manner by which I would kick the bucket (I went for liver cancer).
While seeking inspiration, I headed for the apartment’s micro-bar, which, at that time, was running low on supplies.
JMB — that’s Jack’s Micro-Bar to you, my friend — consisted of nothing but bottles of tonic water, a cocktail shaker, a shot glass, and a dozen or so lowball, champagne flute, and wine glasses.
I was then seized by inspiration.
And so, I now bring to you instructions for making what I call the Maria Clara Lite, a drink which I won’t call my own because someone else may have thought of this one beforehand.

1) Put two shots of Maria Clara sangria into cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2) Pour one shot of tonic water.
3) Shake vigorously.
4) Enjoy.

Pay much heed to instruction number four because this formulation can also work as a refreshing midday drink. Cheers!

———————
From the Due Recognition is Given to department. Gratuitous White Castle billboard ad picture featuring RR Enriquez from media.photobucket.com. White Castle whisky is produced by Destileria Limtuaco, the same company that makes Maria Clara Sangria. The pic is arguably a long shot from the blog entry topic but it remains better than a photo of a Maria Clara Sangria label.

(Also known as the cursory Christmas entry bloggers are wont to indulge in especially during the holidays)

And I mean that in a good way.
Not in the melancholy, maudlin sense expressed by Paul Simon when he wrote a song of the same title in an album which, by the way, is part of my CD collection (something that is becoming increasingly anachronistic).
In any case, as I said, I am still pixilated — yes, it means crazy — because I remain optimistic.
I remain grateful for my friends who have, in one way or the other, expressed support when I ran out of fuel, literally and figuratively, at various periods this year.
My gratitude goes to Barry G. and Art F. and others including Bernie L., Arvie V., Teddy R., Mads B., and Bing C. — individuals who may be uncomfortable about being mentioned in a website such as this one.
Thanks for the Christmas Eve invites, Barry and Art, but I just had to turn them down. I did seriously consider Barry’s offer to shack up with him, Maya, and Aemon at a fancy hotel in Ortigas. Reminded me of that time in Washington, DC five years ago at the Marriott Wardman Park.
Bing, thanks for sharing beers with me in Dumaguete in April. Let’s do that again.
Arnold Tenorio and Dennis Estopace also provided some humor and companionship even though I always shelled out more cash whenever the three of us went out for a drink. It’ll be your turn next time, I promise. Arnold and Dennis, thanks for staying sane, decent, and independent. Keep up the good work, or whatever it is you pretend to do.
Faye Ilogon deserves special mention for helping me out with logistics, broadly defined, and for always trying to cheer me up.
Paolo Manalo for the free books he willingly gave away and dropped off at a preset location — all at no cost to the recipient — before he went abroad to pursue studies further.
GMANews.TV colleagues and co-workers also deserve special mention for making my day every single working day, and here they are, in no particular order of importance — Raffy and Fidel J., Jon P., Karl K., AR S., Kim T., Aie S., Sophie D., Joseph U., Mark M., Jam S., Dreo C., Olmin L., Loloi G., and Jayme G.
Former colleagues also made their respective dents in my life such as Alex M., Abe C., Romy T., and Joe T.
Alan and Raissa Robles for lunch and more.
Thank you all and Happy Holidays.
Bottles of beer were opened, relished, and consumed in your individual honors.
Thank you Rapidshare for just being there, always tempting me to shell out cash for a premium account. But the thought of bills alone gives me pause.
Thank you, Julio Cortazar for writing Blow Up and Other Stories. I’m beginning to appreciate metafiction once again, fourteen years after I read this the first time around.
Thank you, twelve-inch PowerBook G4 for being my workhorse, continuing to function despite a case of kernel panic two years ago and a faulty C key that pops out occasionally.
Thank you, AlphaSmart Dana for allowing me to keep at it, enabling me to type in the unlikeliest of places (i.e., a congested waiting area of a bank in Quezon City) during the most unearthly hours (i.e., an hour and a half after Christmas, when everyone’s inebriated and I am — miraculously — drier than a martini.)
———————
From That Old Black Magic Department. As indicated, this whole document was produced and processed using technology that is roughly five years old. This document — typed on an AlphaSmart Dana — was then beamed via infrared to a Treo 650 from which the same file was transferred via Bluetooth to the PowerBook G4. Mrs. Santa Claus pic courtesy of ebaumsworld.com.

“And I stick burning leaves in my foodhole. So, as a matter of fact, do Kurt Vonnegut, Molly Ivins, Susan Brownmiller, Vaclac Havel, and Lech Walesa. So did Pablo Picasso, Mary McCarthy, FDR, and George Sand. Charles Kuralt couldn’t get to LA from New York without flying first to Antwerp or to Mexico City, which may be why he quit CBS instead of cigarettes. One of the pleasures of going to Sweden a while ago for the Nobel Prizes was firing up late at night with Toni Morrison, Fran Lebowitz, and Sonny Mehta. In Stockholm, they’ve got ashtrays in the elevators. We are undercover everywhere, like moles at Langley. And from the opprobium, you’d think we were gay, or Jewish, or maybe even Violence on Television. And some of us probably are. But whatever happened to Live and Let Hack?”

— John Leonard, Tropic of Cancer (A Post-Toasties Postscript) as anthologized in When the Kissing Had to Stop

(Vonnegut picture from unfutz.blogspot.com)