Last night was our first gig in a little over a month and it was good. We were so excited to play together again, and also a bit nervous because our last practice was a disaster. Thankfully, Roel was ok. Thankfully, my voice was ok. Everything was ok during our set. Some people even clapped, though that was just probably the manyaks plus eloha and popoy. Still, I think people enjoyed the set. I did… but I was really nervous all throughout. I think my stage fright came back a little. Well, I got the feel of it after a few songs. I was especially proud of “Nothing Much to Lose”. I think I’ve finally mastered the proper way to sing it without putting too much strain on my throat. Ralph and Allan seemed pleased about the set, too.

I showed everyone the member profiles I did and they liked it :) Except that Allan insisted that he didn’t know how to breakdance. Hoo. Asked him to show my sisters the Strut after our set. Reluctant pa siya, but he had to give in. It was delightful. Anyway, I just had to change one sentence for clarity and add another band to Roel’s list. In a few days, Ralph will probably be able to post the profiles on the site and you’ll see how accurate my descriptions are, especially Roel’s hehe.

It was nice last night… except that the management of Millenia really sucks. I’m sorry, Millenia, but you really have to work on your customer relations and not put profit first before service. It’s highly unethical. Anyway, my sisters and I ordered a few iced teas as courtesy to the fact that Millenia doesn’t have a cover charge anymore. So we had a table to ourselves near the cashier… I guess we were thirsty because we finished our iced teas before the candy set started (we were 2nd). The waitress took our glasses and wiped our table right away. A few minutes later, one of the other waitresses comes to our table and shows us the menu. We shake our heads, indicating we weren’t ordering… but she insists by taking a flashlight and shaking a light over the damn piece of cardboard. We shake our heads again, then she asks if we’re from the band. I say that I am and that we had ordered already. She goes away. After our set, I sit down with my sisters and we’re talking happily about the performance when this lady comes and asks us if we’re ordering. I tell her we’ve already ordered. She asks if we’re still going to order. We’re not. She says, “why don’t you move to where your bandmates are sitting? Customers might come in and we’d like to let them sit down at a table and give them a chance to order… if you’re not ordering anymore, that is.” Allan senses something so he asks what’s up. She tells him. He says I’m from the band. She repeats her request to him. He looks around and says, why not make them move when there are customers already? She starts to protest, but I, thinking that customers were already waiting, offer to move anyway. So my sisters and I just take three chairs and stick to the wall. By this time, I’m already starting to mull over the injustice of making us move—we were paying customers, too! Then I noticed that it had already been five minutes and no one was sitting at the table we had vacated!!! Fuck that freaking shit. I was so angry… just because we didn’t look like we were ordering anymore, why did she have to treat us like second-class citizens?! I only agreed to move because I thought that there were customers who needed a table badly. What if I weren’t part of the band—what if my sisters were customers there on their own? She wouldn’t have asked them to move… or maybe she would have because they weren’t going to order anymore! I wanted to walk out right then and there.

I went outside to tell Allan and Ralph that I wanted to leave because of the insulting treatment that lady was giving us. And to think we actually ordered just to be courteous! Never mind that we only ordered iced tea… by doing so, we were still patrons of the establishment and were therefore entitled to our own table! So I was telling Allan all this and Tiffany, who is part of Millenia, noticed I was fuming. She asked us if there was anything wrong and Allan explained. She gave profuse apologies, which gave me the impression that she wasn’t aware that customers were being treated this way. Her companion commented, “Oo nga, bad trip yung ganyan, pare. Nakakawalan ng gana. Pagsabihan mo yun.” I calmed down after seeing that not everyone at Millenia is totally devoid of good manners… her sympathy was almost enough to soothe me. Almost. She explained that Millenia had hired new management or something like that and that there have been complaints from other people. Anyway, I decided not to leave after all. I did decide to go and eat at the Pares place across with sina Allan. That’s the last time I patronize that resto bar. Overpriced food and mediocre service. Bah.

Thank God. Allan said that Millenia is planning to have just showbands there by July 2003. Good riddance.

We weren’t able to go out after that because nobody had much money left. Indie Jeff was pleading with us to come eat, but we had to go home. Tonight na lang. We have a gig at Benilde. See you Benilde people there.