Ta La La

When I was in high school, my classmates would suddenly disappear from our dozy subject - Filipino. My not-so-aware teacher would begin his class not noticing that the seats were half empty. We, the diligent students would sometimes bow down our heads, pretending to be listening though we were actually sleeping. Meanwhile, my classmates or should I say, "cutting-classmates" would be enjoying their fleeting time playing Dota in the nearby computer shops. While we, inside the classroom, would be talking about Pantinig, Pandiwa etc., my classmates outside would be busy shouting, "FIRST BLOOD" then "DOUBLE KILL" or even "GODLIKE". 

I didn't understand why these people would waste their time, playing this self-tagged "stupid game". Why didn't they spend their time reading a novel, or play the scrabble? My dilemma continued. I entered college and that word which rang my ears when I was in high school became louder and it was even deafening. I thought, only teen-age people were the only ones who were hooked up with this game. But I was completely wrong. Even adults played Dota. What the hell was happening? Did those people think of their education, more importantly, their future?

Years passed. I continued the journey of my life not hearing the word, Dota. I thought I totally moved on but again, I was wrong. As I was surfing the net and busy liking some of the posts on Facebook, my eyes were caught by an image which charmed a lot of people. That image had 143 likes and an oozing 1,211 comments. I was intrigued so I immediately clicked on the image and voila - there came to me, a photo of a lovely lady with a title, "DoTa ba o Ako?"
 I was a little disturbed! Why would a such pretty gal  ask someone, - "Dota ba o Ako?". Since I was curious, I planned to have a drinking spree with my old acquaintances - who happened to be my earliest known "Dota Addicts" in history. At first, I was hesitant to ask that quandary. I waited for them to talk about Dota. My agony was killing me. No one was talking about that effin game. Two hours passed and they were still talking about basketball and boxing. So, I gathered up my strength and asked, "Hey guys, are you still playing Dota?" Everything went mute. They all stared at me. Then there was a burst of loud laughter. They couldn't stop laughing so I mustered, "Am I funny tonight?" One answered, "Are you okay? Did you just say Dota?" I gave him a sharp look and answered, "Yes, I did. I just need your opinions on this phrase, 'Dota ba o Ako?'" After I said those lines, they all became silent again. And they all looked at Richard. I was really confused. Did Richard make that line? Oh c'mmon! I needed answers.

Richard gave a loud sigh then started, "Actually, my girlfriend and I broke up a couple of weeks ago. She decided to end our relationship because according to her, I didn't know anything except Dota. Yeah, I admit, sometimes, I forget that she is my girlfriend...Oh, WAS, I'm sorry. Instead of staying by her side when she needed me the most, I was not there but I was with Krobelus - my hero. Instead of buying her things that will make her proud of me, I was in Dota world, busy crafting items for my death prophet. Instead of defending her when she feels frightened, I was not. I was busy making my hero strong so that it can defend the Scourge        iced tower. So, she decided to leave me. Arggh! This is shameful."

What the! Richard was epic. He was an epic fail. Who was Krobelus? What was crafting? What was iced tower. Sweet Jesus. Was it the alcohol or was it just me? I was really baffled. Richard's gf as I knew it was really pretty and gorgeous. How would a man left her just because of Dota? I felt how Richard fingered that evening. A tear almost fell from his eyes but he managed us not to notice it. My eyes almost welled up when he said in a low voice, "I really miss her. But it's too late."


After many days of pondering on that matter, I decided to take a glimpse on the internet. I tried my luck to find any discussion about a battle between Dota and a Girlfriend. Luckily, I found one. And here what it said.

*Dota has only one world while a gf has a lot.
*Gf will eventually leave you; Dota won't.
*Gf gets angry when you play Dota; Dota doesn't get angry when you have a girlfriend.
*You just need 20 pesos to play Dota -> Happiness.
*You need more or less 200 pesos to please your girlfriend.
*In Dota, when you look for another hero, nobody gets angry. When you're with your girlfriend and when you look at somebody, she automatically reacts and gets angry.
* When you leave your girlfriend, you will have a hard time getting her back. But in Dota, when you leave your game, you can always go back.


And here's more:

GF: Hey, come to think of it. Can DOTA satisfy your sexual needs?
DOTA: Can a GF give you triple pleasure when you have triple kill?
GF: Can Dota complete a man's life?
DOTA: Can a GF make a man GODLIKE?

After a long debate, they still have one thing in common:

That is, they are both there when you are feeling down and when you are in your worst. A girlfriend is at your side when you lose your bet in Dota. And who will be there when you and your girlfriend went nuts? It's Dota, right?




Whatever you choose, it is you who can tell what you really deserve. That's your life. Live it.