Angeles City trip report

[Jim]

Last Saturday, Mitch and I took the 65 minute drive north to Angeles City to celebrate our birthdays, which are 10 days apart and our seventh monthaversary which falls between them. Since there is a SM Mall in AC, this was our chance to shop for gifts.

Through our seven months, Mitch had saved $100 which she brought with her to shop for my gift and for herself. [She ended up spending only $15 on me…a very thrifty lady]. Well the plan was to split up so we could shop separately and surprise each other. I was getting her gold hoop earrings which apparently she knew she was getting since she gave her old cheap ones to her sister before we left [so much for acting surprised]. I would drop her at one entrance at 1130, I’d park, use a different entrance and we’d meet at 1PM at McDonald’s.

We’ll I found some earrings which were perfect and well priced at a jewelry store we had bought something at before, looked at another store which was more expensive and was browsing at a book store when I got her text at 1150. “I finish now. I go to McDonalds”. So much for “Shop ‘til you drop”. She didn’t even shop until she perspired. She had more money than she had ever had in her life and it was hers to spend as she wished. She was done after 20 minutes. Go figure!!!

That evening we went bar hopping. The bars in AC and in Subic make most of their money thorough selling alcohol and bar fines are only a small portion of their revenues. There are lots more women working than male customers and most of these are there to drink, sometimes buy drinks and socialize with the girls and there are many couples like Mitch and me. Subic has about twenty bars and AC has about 100 so it’s a much bugger place.

About 50 of these bars are packed into an area about 300 meters by 100 meters on Fields Avenue and there is loads more glitz in these areas than anywhere in Subic. It looks like a mini Vegas with neon lights, pretty girls in costumes in the street to attract customers and every bar has at least twenty girls working there. The two most spectacular are Club Atlantis and The Dollhouse. Each has a circular stage with a balcony in the background and over one hundred girls working, There are choreographed dance numbers, singers, precision dancing and different presentations each lasting about five minutes, Most of the music is American.

Drinks in Subic and in the AC perimeter bars are between $1 and $1.20. The glitzy Fields Avenue Bars charge up to $2 for a drink. So this was our entertainment for the evening. Mitch really likes to bar hop and the party atmosphere, but then all of a sudden she gets upset that I actually look at the girls dancing in bikinis. Who understands women?

[Sailover]

Understanding women is a great title for a book. With NO pages. It just can't be done. We are a different species. Things that make sense to us confound them, and visa versa. I guess you probably haven't brought up the girl-girl chapter?
Angeles City has long been on my short list of places to see before I can't enjoy it anymore. Did you spend the night in a hotel or head home. Silent and arms folded. Her too. Must have been tough to drive.

[Benjio]

Originally Posted by Jim

She ended up spending only $15 on me…a very thrifty lady...So much for “Shop ‘til you drop”. She didn’t even shop until she perspired. She had more money than she had ever had in her life and it was hers to spend as she wished. She was done after 20 minutes. Go figure!!!

......Mitch really likes to bar hop and the party atmosphere, but then all of a sudden she gets upset that I actually look at the girls dancing in bikinis. Who understands women?

Regardless of her reaction to the girls in bikinis, I'd say you're still a very lucky man because of the first statement I've quoted.

I have a hard time with this when I'm in Barranquilla with my novia. Like I've said before, I'm a faithful man...always have been. But I'm also human, and sometimes you just can't help but look. The craziest thing about situations like that is when my girlfriend sees what she considers an attractive girl (and we usually agree on that), she'll look directly at me right after spotting her to see if I'm looking. I've actually developed a pretty good sense of timing for when I need to look away. I use to look directly at her after seeing a hot girl, but then she always knew something was up and got upset anyway.

The beaches are hopeless though...I don't even try to hide it anymore at the beach.

[Benjio]

Originally Posted by Sailover

Understanding women is a great title for a book. With NO pages. It just can't be done. We are a different species. Things that make sense to us confound them, and visa versa. I guess you probably haven't brought up the girl-girl chapter?
Angeles City has long been on my short list of places to see before I can't enjoy it anymore. Did you spend the night in a hotel or head home. Silent and arms folded. Her too. Must have been tough to drive.

I think the most difficult thing for us to understand is that men are more analytical and logical creatures. Most of the times (and I'm saying "most" because it's definitely not all) we make decisions and act on those decisions based on what makes more logical sense. We are emotional beings as well, but we don't let our emotions control us as much.

Let's take Jim's example of Mitch getting upset. I'm sure Mitch knows Jim is a faithful and committed man who loves her very much. He has given me this impression simply by reading the things he writes about her. A logical reaction would have been not to react at all. The girls were in bikinis in order to be looked at. It was entertainment. It's not like he was sitting there wishing he was with one of them instead of Mitch. I'm sure every woman and man in the bar was looking at the girls in bikinis. Mitch reacted emotionally. This could be for a number of reasons. I don't know her personally so I couldn't begin to assume why. Some girls, no matter how beautiful they are, have insecurities because of a disatisfaction with the way they look. Some have been cheated on so they assume all men have that intention no matter how faithful a man is. Either way, this type of behavior stems for emotional reactions.

I am not my girlfriend's idea of the perfect man in the physical sense. She tells me I'm handsome ALL the time, but I've asked her "if you could create the perfect man, what would he look like physically?" I'm lacking some of the characteristics she mentioned, but that's okay...because you know what, she's not mine either. Our relationship is based on things a lot deeper and more fulfilling than physical attraction. Looks change. We both know that, and we're mature enough to know we both want something more out of a relationship. I said that to say this: When I'm in Colombia with my novia and I see her looking at a guy who's a lot closer to what she described as the perfect man physically, I don't get upset. Not at all. I'll usually make a joke, like "Do you want me to get his number for you?" Even though it has bothered me juuuuusssssttttt a little in the past, it wasn't logical for me to get angry over that. To be honest, I'm too ****ing confident anyway. I really don't think she's going anywhere and if she did....oh well. I however cannot do the same thing. Because she will react emotionally and get upset. She's done this before and this is how the conversation goes:

ME: "Do you think I want to leave you for her?"

HER: "No"

ME: "Do you think I want to cheat on you and sleep with her?"

HER: "No"

ME: "Then why are you upset?"

HER: "Because you think she's prettier than me."

ME: "And what would give you that idea?

HER: "You're looking at her instead of me right now."

ME: "So I look at you for hours and hours everyday, but I looked at her for a moment and you assume I think she is prettier?"

This can go on for hours. The good thing about my girlfriend is she's willing to concede to sound logic when I explain why the way she's acting doesn't make sense. A lot of women don't! It's just the way the cookie crumbles. What are you going to do...be gay? HELL NO....have fun with it. Life is too short to try and understand everything anyways.

[Cap'n Jib]

“The beaches are hopeless though...I don't even try to hide it anymore at the beach.” – Benjio

No doubt you 'rise' to the occasion….a give away if ever there was one.

[Benjio]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Jib

“The beaches are hopeless though...I don't even try to hide it anymore at the beach.” – Benjio

No doubt you 'rise' to the occasion….a give away if ever there was one.

Yes...I think "rise" is the perfect word for those situations....

[Sailover]

In a lot of ways, women are like little girls. They will push you to see how far they can go. When your woman gives you something as ridiculous as, 'you must think she is prettier than me', it is time to just walk away. Not like a dick, but just calmly say that she knows better and you won't get into it with her.
If you begin to feed that sort of shiz, she could take it even farther. Like, 'do these pants make me look fat?'. The Dr. Phil answer is, NO! And here is a lovely set of diamond earrings to make you feel better! While the Dr. Dre answer is, NO! It is your big ASS that makes you look fat.'

[Cap'n Jib]

'you must think she is prettier than me', it is time to just walk away’ – SO

So then the correct thing to say is “Yah I do. I’ll go introduce myself NOW”?

[Benjio]

Originally Posted by Sailover

In a lot of ways, women are like little girls. They will push you to see how far they can go. When your woman gives you something as ridiculous as, 'you must think she is prettier than me', it is time to just walk away. Not like a dick, but just calmly say that she knows better and you won't get into it with her.
If you begin to feed that sort of shiz, she could take it even farther. Like, 'do these pants make me look fat?'. The Dr. Phil answer is, NO! And here is a lovely set of diamond earrings to make you feel better! While the Dr. Dre answer is, NO! It is your big ASS that makes you look fat.'

I agree you shouldn't feed into it, but the make-up sex after one of these little spats with a woman you love is usually worth the trouble. I've always wondered whether or not the make-up sex was the alterior motive for starting arguments that silly in the first place. I'm thinking in most cases it is...and that furthers our lack of understanding even more. When we'd just say, "Hey baby, I'm horny", I've known women that will go through an entire song and dance just to get to that point. I have fun with it. Keeps things interesting. I've gotten so accustomed to women that don't ever say exactly what they want or how they feel, I've lost almost all attraction for more straight forward women that do.

[Sailover]

"I've gotten so accustomed to women that don't ever say exactly what they want or how they feel, I've lost almost all attraction for more straight forward women that do."

Oh man. I wish you the best. I fear you will need it.