The Road to 40 Day 114/365: Captainship and Comedy Sunday

It was game day for Vino, and I was set to watch a comedy show in the afternoon, so it was going to be an activity-filled day.

We had to get up early for Vino’s games, as it was in Boon Lay, and we had to register at 7:55am. Everything is pretty close in SG, but it would still take us about 30 minutes to reach the venue by cab.

We had to wake Vino up at around 7am so that he could still have a bit of breakfast. We got ready and went off to the games.

Vino had two games, and he was given the captain’s armband before their first game.

He was playing his first game in Division 2. Last season, their team was in Division 3, and they managed to move up after they won a couple of games on the final playing day of the tournament.

They went up against a team that Vino had played before, but not with the current composition of his team. The guys looked good, but they beat them 1-0. Later, we saw that same team win their next games, hence they are also in Division 2 now.

This time around, Vino’s team looked outmatched and outclassed. That team played with skill, heart, grit, and strategy. The team had glimpses of brilliance, but ultimately, they lost 6-1.

After conceding a second goal, Vino looked upset at himself. Coach went up to talk to him to keep his spirits up. Unfortunately, he conceded four more as the match went on. On a positive note, he didn’t cry about it. He was upset with himself, but he looked determined to get another shot at it.

In the next game, he conceded two goals before he was pulled out and replaced by another keeper. The other keeper was good, really, but a bit careless because of his eagerness. He conceded four goals in a half.

After the games, coach talked to the parents to say that he thinks it would be good for the team to stay in Division 3 for now. We’ll try to win as many games as we can while we are in Div 2, but the second game was apparently our best chance to beat a team in this division.

The team really improved a lot, but it’s not to the level of the guys who are in this division. There are teams who are just on the fringe of qualifying in Division 1, and some teams that could contend there as well. For Vino’s team, they still have some ways to go.

We agreed with the coach’s assessment because he said the boys deserve wins for their efforts. We’ll see how that goes.

We went home to rest a bit, and I planned on leaving in the afternoon to catch a show by Red Ollero.

The venue was an intimate one, with about 40 seats available. I thought it would be a good idea to come early so that we’ll have seats. After all, it was Red Ollero, the guy who had a Netflix special and a cult favorite in “I Am Not Big Bird” also on Netflix.

We were met with about 12-14 patrons. I’m a bit disappointed at the turnout, but at least he had about 40-50 people come to his first show the day before. I love the brand of comedy they bring, and I support them whenever possible by watching shows and listening to their podcasts.

I was disappointed because if people don’t come to these shows, there might not be shows like these in the future.

I met with Jeremy, his brother, and his sister-in-law, who were coming to their first comedy show.

It was the first time I watched Chan Chan Consing and Mark Llamado do their sets. I’ve seen both guys on Pencilbox Comedy and some snippets of their sets. They’re still funny even if I knew what was coming.

They also frequently guest on pods that I listen to, so I felt like they are familiar people already. They were pretty good people also, much like most of the people in the comedy scene that I’ve known.

It’s weird because I see them on social media and they’re supposed to be pseudo-celebrities, but I’d probably be noisier than them if we were sitting on the same dinner table. They’re very humble guys, you wouldn’t know how funny they were if you didn’t see them on stage.

Red’s comedy is not for everyone, I feel like. Personally, I think it’s smart, but not to the level Victor Anastacio brings. Red still has jokes that don’t need a lot of thinking, which I appreciate.

He also did crowd work, which is a unique experience in any show. It was extra special because there were so few of us there. It felt natural.

What people don’t like too much is that he can get too political. I don’t mind it, really. PH politics is a joke, and if we can’t laugh at it, maybe we should help educate people to vote better.

Also planning to get a Linya-Linya shirt like his before I shed my weight. 

After the show, Je, his brother, and I hung around for a bit, talking to the organizers, the bar owner, and Red. I had stouts, and I asked the owner, Kiyo, what cocktail he would have that he’d say I won’t be able to try anywhere else. He offered Jamu Mezcal – a Indonesian herbal tea-inspired drink spiked with Mezcal.

I went down to order it, and when I came up, Je and his brother said they were heading out. I stayed on to finish my drink and just hear stories from the guys there.

Kiyo later came up with wine glasses and a bottle of what looked like Rose wine. He shared it with everyone, including me. It had a sparkly flavor that was between white wine and champagne. It was apparently wine made in China.

He had a few friends come by, and when another guy arrived, he popped another bottle of wine. Red later said he was almost scared that he’d pop bottles every time someone arrived because he still had dinner plans.

After I finished my alcohol, the others were also done. I was able to talk to the organizers, The Secret Pals. I’d love to say their names are Pat and Ian, but I could be wrong. I’m bad at names of people I met for the first time.

I thanked them for bringing PH comedy here, and I said I hoped they didn’t lose money because of the poor turnout. They also brought The Koolpals last year, and I just hoped they wouldn’t stop doing what they’re doing because of their experience this weekend.

They said it was a bit difficult because the show was promoted in less than two weeks, so it was a bit understandable. I started following them on IG, and while I don’t really have much time to go to parties and stuff, I’m just hoping to support their stuff.

I took the bus going home. It was quite a walk, but at least I just needed one bus. We had dinner at home, with Che apparently getting convinced by Vino to play Restaurant Tycoon on Roblox.

After cleaning up, we all went to bed. I tried to watch an episode of Beyond the Bar, which is our latest K-Drama binge-watch. Unfortunately, my eyes couldn’t stay open for longer than 15 minutes.

It was a good day, though. As much as I would have wanted to spend more time with Che and Vino, I felt like I needed the laughs and to let loose on this day. 

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