The 4j Road Trip: An Endangered Species?
Your comments are well-taken, and I shall try to keep the posts nice and lean. 500 words or less sound okay?
Anyway, I composed yet another kilometric one the other day, basically rating the road trips we j-boys have had over the years. (I was basically engaging in a little wishful thinking given that at the time, the long weekend was still something to look forward to and not something that was already winding down, which it is now). My word count: 1,250. Scratch that, then.
So I decided to simply reduce it to the question: what has made our road trips, regardless of the participants or the venues, so enjoyable over the years? I came up with what I feel are three principal answers. Camaraderie, adventure and well, for lack of a better term "coolness." Some of the trips I've thought of have had at least one of these qualities, but invariably (like you didn't see this coming), it's camaraderie that always counts the most.
As I compressed the "which is the best road trip in my opinion" essay, I suddenly found that picking an ultimate road trip (which, ironically, was one I wasn't even part of, namely the Dirty Half-Dozen's Mindanao Odyssey) was not as important as asking the question: is the 4j road trip fast approaching extinction?
I ran into Rhoch just yesterday and he mentioned Philip's invitation to Surigao, which in truth sounds rather lovely. At the thought of it, I was saddened somewhat as I realized that given my current circumstances, it was not terribly likely I'd be able to go. I wondered just then how many of us (that are even here in the country, and that could be another post altogether) actually could find the time and resources to swing such a trip.
As far as j-boys go, I realize I'm still in the (steadily shrinking) minority of family men, and I have the unique situation of having spent so much time without employment because of my bar obligations, but I nonetheless wonder: are our days of roaming the countryside done? It's not so much a dare or a proposal for yet another road trip, but a genuine question? How many of us still have both the time and resources to swing a group vacation? The logistics of it were tough enough when there were those of us still in school or just starting out, but now?
I don't have any answers to this one, and I guess I'm hoping that one of you out there does. Other than gimmicks, road trips were one of the cornerstones of the 4j bond throughout college, when many of us had gone our separate ways. I guess I'm really hoping it's a tradition we can somehow manage to maintain...
Anyway, I composed yet another kilometric one the other day, basically rating the road trips we j-boys have had over the years. (I was basically engaging in a little wishful thinking given that at the time, the long weekend was still something to look forward to and not something that was already winding down, which it is now). My word count: 1,250. Scratch that, then.
So I decided to simply reduce it to the question: what has made our road trips, regardless of the participants or the venues, so enjoyable over the years? I came up with what I feel are three principal answers. Camaraderie, adventure and well, for lack of a better term "coolness." Some of the trips I've thought of have had at least one of these qualities, but invariably (like you didn't see this coming), it's camaraderie that always counts the most.
As I compressed the "which is the best road trip in my opinion" essay, I suddenly found that picking an ultimate road trip (which, ironically, was one I wasn't even part of, namely the Dirty Half-Dozen's Mindanao Odyssey) was not as important as asking the question: is the 4j road trip fast approaching extinction?
I ran into Rhoch just yesterday and he mentioned Philip's invitation to Surigao, which in truth sounds rather lovely. At the thought of it, I was saddened somewhat as I realized that given my current circumstances, it was not terribly likely I'd be able to go. I wondered just then how many of us (that are even here in the country, and that could be another post altogether) actually could find the time and resources to swing such a trip.
As far as j-boys go, I realize I'm still in the (steadily shrinking) minority of family men, and I have the unique situation of having spent so much time without employment because of my bar obligations, but I nonetheless wonder: are our days of roaming the countryside done? It's not so much a dare or a proposal for yet another road trip, but a genuine question? How many of us still have both the time and resources to swing a group vacation? The logistics of it were tough enough when there were those of us still in school or just starting out, but now?
I don't have any answers to this one, and I guess I'm hoping that one of you out there does. Other than gimmicks, road trips were one of the cornerstones of the 4j bond throughout college, when many of us had gone our separate ways. I guess I'm really hoping it's a tradition we can somehow manage to maintain...
posted by Jim Arroyo at 12:40 PM
5 Comments:
R-Jay has become the shining beacon beckoning us to go out of town. He tried getting us to go to Tagaytay and Baguio on several occasions last year. Given my financial situation, I couldn't go. Maybe it has tapered off due to the fact that Leslie's pregnant!
BTW, I just realized that the picture Ryan posted here before (something about realizing it was a fake) actually came from the movie "Euro Trip" from the makers of "Road Trip" and was twice as funny.
well, you know what they say:
"When there's a will, there's a way!"
:-D
well, you know what they say:
"When there's a will, there's a way!"
:-D
I was also making a little reference to the Pagudpud(?) trip I heard talk of when we had that Videoke jamming session at Philip's place. Any word on that? Maybe we could schedule something for later this year (I know this is thinking really far ahead)after Theia has taken the bar and everything? Just a thought...
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