HERE, THERE and EVERYWHERE

I may be a psycho. Consider the symptoms:

1) HALLUCINATIONS. There's a recurring image that plagues me. It's hard to describe. But everytime it appears, it makes me squeamish. Sometimes, I try to focus on the image when it comes to get a better memory of it but I always just end up blocking it. The image is that disturbing.

2) AUTISTIC TENDENCIES. I have this weird habit of syllabicating words that pop into my mind with my fingers. I've been doing it since I was a kid.

3) DIZZINESS. Silence and stillness make me dizzy. It's been proven twice. In grade school, the teacher asked us to internalize before a class performance. I remember standing in formation with the entire class. Then the complete silence just enveloped me and I felt the world spin. Another time I was kneeling in the chapel with the rest of my batch. Again, the silence just seemed to go on too long. And I had to sit down.

4) LOUD SOUNDS. Sound really carries in my room especially since our building is parallel to another and my windows don't close. I'm used to the noise. But sometimes, when I'm lying in bed, the familiar sounds of calesa hooves, karitelya, and backing trucks suddenly just seem so loud that I feel the rhythm disturbingly beat inside my chest.

5) DELUSIONS. Sometimes, when I lie down in bed, I feel tremors. I always think there's an eathquake only to find out that I just imagined it.

Oh yeah. And did I mention that I laugh in my sleep?

First I was snubbed. Then I was rejected.

Rich Herrera finally texted me back, only to let me know that he won't be in town on the day of the fashion show. Well, at least there won't be any distractions during the launch.

And no, I am not giving away his number.

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Haha! Episode 15 works in another DVD player! Yey Oz!

Thanks to Tin, I'll be going to my first costume party. Costume parties were just so American when I was a kid. So I'm pretty excited.

I've always wanted to throw a 60's-themed party (or have my friends surprise me with one:) ) so it was pretty much between that or going army. I had my war freak phase back in high school plus I already have the pants, the belt, and the dog tag. The only thing I needed was a toy machine gun. But since it was my first -- and probably only -- costume party, it didn't seem right not to put some work into it.

A few years ago, for lack of anything better to do, I was cleaning (it's really quite therapeutic) our 50-year-old house when I came upon some of my mom's old ting hun dresses. I wanted to see if some of those dresses actually fit.

They not only fit. But they're a little big. And my mom always claimed they had small waists back then. Ha! Of course, I only tried them out after wearing a slip and a tank top. After not being washed for 30 years, I wanted as little contact with the fabric as possible. And no, I couldn't find Lysol and I couldn't wait for them to be washed first. I just had to scrub myself clean right after. And wash my hands everytime I held the fabric. I'm still itching as I write this.

Then not even one of those dresses was a sleeveless! And I already imagined myself in a short shift dress...Sigh. I love the 60's. But their clothes don't excite me much.

Now I don't know if I should just wear something less authentic and look prettier.

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Well, someone definitely wants me to stop watching Buffy. Had to skip my way through episodes 13 and 14. And episode 15 totally gave up on me just as I was getting mushy over Willow and Oz.

The things I do for Buffy. I was in Divi Mall one boring day to try to see if I could actually find Buffy Season Two. Surprisingly, I did. And Season Three too. Only Two's discs were heavily scratched and Three's jacket labels were a mess. That day, I took pride in my restraint. I thought I could surely find better copies in Quiapo.

My restraint lasted exactly 3 days. But I went back to Quiapo instead.

The last and only time I was in DVD land in Quiapo, I was with someone -- not exactly good as a bodyguard but a guy nevertheless. This time, out of sheer desperation, I went alone. Curiously, I find myself not minding doing a lot of that these days. It's just irritating how you can still be harrassed even when you're just in cargo pants and a t-shirt. Is it even possible to be held up even when you're not carrying a bag?

The DVD market is different at 3PM. The stalls were only half-filled and no TVs were available for viewing. Made me wonder if they were recently just raided.

But the worst part was, Buffy was out of stock! I was lucky enough to get one remaining set of Season Two. But the only Season Three available had one disc missing. Now it looks like I'd have to settle for the one in Divi Mall. Unless I'm not desperate enough to wait. Hmm. Wonder how long that could last.

I admit it. I'm a junkie.

My room has a steady supply of chips and our ref has a shelf dedicated to chocolates. I cannot go on an out of town gimmick without bringing an assortment of junk food. And when I go abroad, I check out the local supermarket and keep an eye out for new junk.

I especially love kettle-cooked potato chips. Be it Jalapeno, Sour Cream and Onion, or strange yet interesting flavors like Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper or Yogurt and Green Onion. I fell in love with this Parmesan flavored potato chips, only the next time I went back for it, the supermarket stopped selling it. My heart was broken, but I eventually got over it. Especially when I discovered Terra Red Bliss's Olive Oil, Garlic and Parmesan flavored potato chips. I was in love again.

But sadly, my joy was short-lived. I eventually gave up on my search and just asked my boy to bring me home a few bags from the States. That was the only pasalubong I really wanted. And that was how much of a junkie I was.

So I was surprised to see kettle-cooked potato chips being sold in Healthy Options. The prices were unreasonable but I couldn't help it. I bought 2 bags. Then I went to the supermarket and saw Terra Red Bliss once again. At P180 per bag, you'd think I'd get over my addiction. But once you're hooked, it's just so hard to stay away. Like I said, I'm a junkie. But I'm enjoying every bite of it.

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Some trivia about potato chips.

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I'm still amazed at the honesty system in bazaars.

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No one is safe from Meteor Garden. Not even my 3 and 4-year old niece and nephew.

Everyone's writing about Friendster, I had to do my part.

Why is it that everytime I'm alone and it's time to eat, I find myself drifting to Cibo? So many women are probably asking themselves the same thing. There were 3 other tables occupied with lone girls last time I was there.

It's interesting to play tourist in your own country.

I went around Marikina on my own the other day. A friend was treating us to dinner in the area so I thought it would be the right time to finally do what I always wanted to -- tour Marikina. I've already gone tripping around Manila, Cubao, and even as far as Cavite. I wanted to do the same with Marikina. The last time I was there was way back in college, when I was dating someone who lived in that area. But even then, I only got as far as his house. Hehe.

Dinner was at 8PM. I arrived shortly before 6PM. I couldn't drag anyone to go with me so I decided to just go on my own. I'm used to being on my own but it was new to be on your own in unexplored territory.

Marikina's a pretty strange city. The local mall is a jumble of restaurants, stores, tiangge stalls, and service shops. There are no audio shops nor coffeeshops. There's no National Bookstore nor is there a McDo. But there is a supermarket and people actually drag their grocery carts while shopping in the mall. It's the strangest thing.

Inside the air-conditioned mall, a number of people wander around in their slippers while right outside, participants of a dog show wear long-sleeves and ties. It really is the strangest thing.

The toy shop sells Bratz alongside its various P150 rip-offs (Angels and Beautiful Girlies). And the ihawan has no ventilation.

It's strange. But that's what makes it interesting.

I'm all for tourism. But how many versions of WOW! PHILIPPINES banners do we need? Now the latest one has photos of GMA and Dick Gordon. What are we promoting anyway?

Make that three consecutive nights in a row.

"For some ungodly reason, you've clicked on to the audio commentary portion of this DVD, which means you probably have way too much free time on your hands."

-- Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

After two consecutive nights of having a Buffy Season One marathon, what does that say about me?

I've officially started Christmas shopping. Spent an hour at the toy section of Rustan's. 3 Crush Gear, 2 Justice League action figures, and 3 Zoids. 20 more kids and teenagers to go. And that doesn't even include my list.

It never fails. Every year, I'm tasked to buy the Christmas gifts of my aunts. This started a few years back for two main reasons: 1) My aunts were based in the province or abroad, so nice gifts were inaccessible or inconvenient for them to get, and 2) I was then a freelance photographer, which for them meant a lot of extra time. I was fine with it until I discovered that they still expected me to do it even when I already had a steady job. By then I had to find the extra time to do it.

This year I'm back to freelancing so I have no excuse. But then I realized that no matter how much I used to complain about it, I love to shop. And heck, I'm good at it.

It's always nice to know that you're making some kid happy with the latest toy, something that isn't plain educational. Or maybe it just feels good to give some kid the stuff you felt you never got as a kid. Barbies anyone?