Tried and true

I don't know. This blogger/gmail thing confuses me. Has it occurred to anyone how dependent we are on passwords and pin numbers? At work alone, I have to memorize four passwords to get through the day. And then I have one for my yahoo, my blogger, my netflix, my friendster. And the list goes on.

I am going to be very busy this year (this I realized three months into the new year, on the first day of spring, no less). If all goes well, next year I will have learned to drive, be a US citizen, be in business school, and be in Europe for spring break. Sounds fabulous, doesn't it? If only I could get my act together.

I did manage to take the TOEFL two weeks ago. It went well, besides the fact that I was too impatient, was the second person to walk out, and as a result have no idea whatsoever what range my score is in . It was very distracting having everyone around you trying to speak clearly into their microphones while you're trying to listen with the non-noise-blocking headphones. While I was in the middle of writing an essay, my keyboard decided to get stuck and I had to summon a proctor who had to summon somebody else, while my time was running out. Also, I had bought Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils for the occasion but didn't get to use them as only pencils provided by the testing center were allowed. The test center was awful, by the way; their system consisted of a person calling out room numbers, which we were supposed to locate on a hand-written list posted on a wall somewhere. It was all very confusing.

Anyhow, as evident in my non-presence on the internet, I have been kept busy by other things such as weekly trips to Costco, outlet shopping, laundry, magazine recycling and the like, and will probably continue to be if I everything goes as planned and I get ahold of Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs video. In other words, I have been gaining weight like crazy (hello bacon and eggs everyday) and in dire need of an activity that doesn't involve typing.

This makes me giggle every time.

The Flea

MARK but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou deniest me is ;
It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.
Thou know'st that this cannot be said
A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead ;
Yet this enjoys before it woo,
And pamper'd swells with one blood made of two ;
And this, alas ! is more than we would do.

O stay, three lives in one flea spare,
Where we almost, yea, more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is.
Though parents grudge, and you, we're met,
And cloister'd in these living walls of jet.
Though use make you apt to kill me,
Let not to that self-murder added be,
And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?
Wherein could this flea guilty be,
Except in that drop which it suck'd from thee?
Yet thou triumph'st, and say'st that thou
Find'st not thyself nor me the weaker now.
'Tis true ; then learn how false fears be ;
Just so much honour, when thou yield'st to me,
Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.

- John Donne

Ah, life was so much simpler back then.

Ode to divorce - Regina Spektor

The food that I’m eating
Is suddenly tasteless
I know I’m alone now
I know what it tastes like
So break me to small parts
Let go in small doses
But spare some for spare parts
There might be some good ones
Like you might make a dollar
I’m inside your mouth now
Behind your tonsils
Peeking over your molars
You’re talking to her now
And you’ve eaten something minty
And you’re making that face that I like
And you’re going in, in for the kill, kill
For the killer kiss, kiss for the kiss, kiss

I need your money, it’ll help me
I need your car and I need your love
So won’t you help a brother out?
Won’t you help a brother out?

---
My iPod, faithful (and defiantly nameless) companion for three years, is finally dying. The battery was the first to go; it only stays on for a couple of minutes. Now, it's the backlight. I still lug the mammoth (so weird and bulky-looking beside the spiffy new models) around, though, plugging it in my work computer so I could listen to the songs I've collected over the years. The boy got me a Creative Zen V Plus for Christmas, but I only use it on Sundays when I listen to my praise and worship lineup and need that extra bass. (My iPod's earphones have long been retired; I now use a cheap Sony one). Sigh. Letting go is hard to do.

Christmas list

Yay! I did my online Christmas shopping na. Anyways, these are the stores I've been purchasing from:

1. fredflare.com
2. uncommongoods.com
3. wishingfish.com

My gifts include:

1. Napoleon Dynamite sleep mask
2. faux bacon strip bandages - band-aids that look like strips of bacon!
3. stapleless stapler
4. computer vac - includes mini brushes, etc.
5. pig and dachsund corn holders - skewers you stick in both ends of corn on the cob so you won't have to hold the corn.
6. butter couple - butter boy and butter girl butter holders.
7. reversible hat that makes baby look like a lion!

It's hard to explain and I'm too lazy to put links and I have to shower, but I will post pictures soon because my Christmas list is rocking this year. Ok go!

Coat of arms

Oh my gosh. I almost got into a fight. At Zara. Over a coat. (In fairness, cute talaga siya). I was shopping for Christmas presents when I chanced upon the Zara store in Soho. I've been reminding myself every couple of months to drop by, but I rarely ever go shopping for clothes anywhere but my regular haunts.

Anyway, in the back, past where they display the fancier items is a treasure trove of reasonably-priced but fancy-looking items. Two Asian girls were trying on coats in front of the lone mirror. One of the coats they were trying on caught my attention. (This was a different one from the one I almost got killed for). The fit was great, and the fabric was versatile, so I started looking through the racks for a similar coat. The only coat in my size (S) was of a different fabric and was pricier. But after 20 minutes of looking around and calculating numbers in my head, I finally decided that I could afford one last coat this winter.

Alas! My coat was gone from the racks. I asked the salesgirl for one in my size, but she said somebody else took the last one. Actually I knew this, but I just wanted to make sure. Finally, after much tugging and smoothing and setting of bags and previous purchases on the floor, I decided I would take the (M). But not before checking with the salesgirl, just in case the other girl decided not to take the (S). Which was quick thinking on my part because she came back from the dressing room with the precious coat!

On my way to getting in line, I passed a rack of basic turtlenecks and remembered how I constantly wished I had a plain black turtleneck while leafing through this season's magazines. Of course, I started looking through the rack. It was okay, I had time since the line was long; the two Asian girls from earlier were at the head of the line, with the same coat as the one I had (I wondered briefly if it was a small). Suddenly, a girl on her cellphone walks by, "Waitaminute. Somebody took my fucking coat!" Oops. I slowly inched my way in line, while wishing that it wasn't the coat I had draped over my arms she was talking about. No such luck, though. Just as it was my turn at the register, a salesgirl inquired about my coat's size. Apparently, the girl had tried the coat on in the dressing room and left it with an attendant, and the other salesgirl innocently thought that she didn't want it.

I looked at her with "You have got to be kidding me," written all over my face. I mean, come on. Who tries coats on in the dressing room, anyway? You just fling your stuff on the floor and try it on right there. Plus, this girl was at least three inches taller than me, and she was actually going to make shorty me get the (M)? But fine, I was gracious, gave her the small, took the medium, and gave the salesgirl my name and number and asked for a list of Zara stores in New York. While all this was going on, the two Asian girls from before (bless their hearts) came dashing back in. On their way out, they found a (S) near the front of the store. "Thank you," I said. "Apparently, everyone wants this coat." "Well, we all have one now!,"she said.

So, to my fellow Zara coat shoppers, congratulations for snagging a very in demand item, and much good karma to those two girls. To the helpful Zara salesgirl, it was an innocent mistake and just one of the snags in the retail world. And to Zara waiting room attendants, please designate a rack for reserved items to facilitate a hassle-free shopping experience.

i wish the world was flat like the old days
then i could travel just by folding a map



This is where I was last year.

Top of the world



How cute is this top? Mura lang naman - $210. Hay, I wonder when I can afford to just drop 200 bucks on a top. It's over at built by wendy.