First, there was Mulder and Scully. Then, the Doctor and Rose. And just recently, I was introduced to the troubled world of Nathan and Audrey.
What is with me and these dysfunctional, sci-fi riddled, tragically written love affairs?!
I'm going for the 10 TV shows/networks that's getting me scrambling for the remote, both real time and DVR...
1. History Channel. Who knew the past would be so much fun.
2. SciFi Channel. Yes, I take a peek once in a while, only to check if reruns of Doctor Who are on. But if the X-Files is on, I stay for a bit and watch anyway.
3. HBO. Gotta get my daily movie fix wherever in the world I am.
4. Dancing With The Stars. The only reality show that we don't have in Manila. Hooked on it now.
5. Ugly Betty, Samantha Who, Eli Stone, Entourage, Heroes, etc. Season premiers rock.
6. TV ads that bash other products.
7. Girls Next Door. I like the crazy show, so shoot me.
8. Food Network. Soooo goood.
9. Extreme Makeover Home Edition. The old house, the cool new house, the tragedy, the new leaf, Ty Pennington -- enough to stay home on a Sunday night.
10. Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, Project Runway, ANTM, Top Design. Loving the drama, fashion, and colorful people of reality TV.
As some of you may already know, I'm extending my stay in Bangkok for another week. Tourist visas in Thailand are only good for 30 days. So, I re-booked my return ticket and I'm scheduled to go back on the 13th. Yay!
Aside from the daily mundane activities and the chores I never needed to do back home, I've also been busy entertaining myself with the best thing I know how to do -- spend money. I've accumulated quite a few things in the last 3 weeks. From psychedelic ash trays (gifts for my smoker friends) to bottled spicy condiments and Tom Yam soup paste (for me and my brother. Oh boy, are they spicy). Most importantly, I got a lot of really fabulous clothes and accessories: Ray-Ban aviator and wayfarer sunglasses (my best buys on this trip); "Brida" by Paulo Coelho and a bunch of other books from Kinokuniya (even the books are on sale!); a vintage Rolling Stone t-shirt which I absolutely love (haggled from 1,250 Baht down to just 400 Baht -- I said it was my birthday. I had to.); and really cute tops/dresses that I think I can pull off in Manila (when I wear them here, I blend in easily). NOTE: All items bought at La Lai Sap, Patpong, Silom Central, Siam Paragon, and miscellaneous side streets of Bangkok.
I'm a little worried about going over the baggage limit. But I can worry more when I get to the airport, can't I. Put all my clothes on like Joey did with Chandler's on Friends? Problem solved.
"...I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And, if you can find someone to love the you YOU love, well, that's just fabulous." ~ Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City
This week's ten is a good one. It's precious time down the drain.; it's time I can never get back. But I have no regrets. After all, nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely...or so that 19th century Rodin dude said.
Before I go on with my 10, I just want to give a shout-out to my loved ones who are celebrating their birthdays this week -- to my friends Edsel, Iris, and Danny, who celebrated theirs yesterday; to my Über fabulous aunt Memey, who defies age and time every 29th of May; and to Obie, who turns 27 today (welcome to my world...almost). And now, my 10 favorite time wasters:
1. Scouring for grammatical and punctuation errors. I look everywhere for them -- street signs, banners, news, stores, posters. It's more of an unconscious tick more than a deep desire to waste time, really.
2. Watching TV. We all know 98% of the stuff on the tube nowadays is bad for the average brain (erm, needless?). But we watch them anyway.
3. RockBand on PS3. Some might say "get a life, start a REAL band!#@$" But I say to them, "screw you. RockBand rules!!!"
4. Bugging others. So, I'm bored. It gives me an excuse to be mean.
5. Come up with stupid cheers and senseless nursery rhymes in my head. Example: "Oh my, Cinderella! Sweet butter lemon! Many, many cola...many, many cola in the pop cola!" See what I mean?
6. Rent/buy/watch movies I've never heard of before. You know, just for the heck of it. Sometimes I find a gem, other times I stop after a few minutes of watching and forget about it altogether.
7. Pig out.
8. Sleep.
9. Sit around a circle (or lie comfortably on the floor) at 4 in the morning chatting with friends about nothing and everything. Bashing former lovers, culminating the art of gossiping (it's evil; stay away from it if possible), exchanging fashion lusts and disgusts, comparing body mass indexes and exercise regimens WHILE eating the featured junk food of the week.
10. Stare into space...or something, anything, for the longest time, without purpose or awareness. This may sound like a total waste of time, but sometimes zoning out helps. Who needs a shrink when you can achieve a peaceful stasis all on your own. It gets you centered. Keeps you Zen. Intellectual, spiritual, and emotional recharge, if you will. It's effective AND cheap. Go ahead, have a nice daze. :)
Before anything else, I just want to give a shout out to Obie...
Someone once said that a man reserves his true and deepest love not for the woman in whose company he finds himself electrified and enkindled, but for the one whose company he may feel tenderly drowsy. I guess in a weird yet good way, this makes me the luckiest girl; not only do you love me because of the butterflies and all the other obvious reasons, but also because of the ease and comfort you get when you doze off next to me. Sure, I may feel sad and a little neglected when that happens (while watching Shrek. TWICE. Come on!@#%), but I'm still honored you picked ME. Happy 3rd Anniversary...
Now on to TMI Tuesday:
1. By what nickname(s) were you known as a child? There's Frizzy, which I still go by now. It has nothing to do with my hair, mind you. I guess my parents thought it definitely sounded more feminine than my real first name. Another childhood nickname was Joy. My grandfather (dad's dad) came up with it and it was only my dad's side of the family who called me that once upon a time. My dad's sisters still call me that sometimes. Why Joy? Well, since I was his only begotten son's first child, he considered me to be "the Joy of his life." He passed away when I was only in 2nd grade, but he was a sweet, simple man. He's always been missed.
2. Do you have a favorite poem and, if so, what is it? I love the classics -- Shakespeare, Whitman, the staples in poetry and prose. But I've also written a few. I actually had to go through my junk pile to find this one poem I wrote in March of 1996. I don't remember who it's for, but it goes a little something like this:
LunaNina says ... and I think ... ?
LunaNina says ... and I think ... ?
Everyone gets those bummer days they wish they could skip altogether. Yesterday was one of mine. What helps me get through such crappy times? Here are my top five:
5. Food, food, food. Especially junk and sweets. So what if they're bad for your health (I'm only saying this because I'm not thinking straight; I'm all for healthy living). Admit it, when you're down in the dumps and you pop in that first French fry or Hershey's kiss in your mouth, it's like the pain just...melts in your mouth along with it.
4. Shopping, of course. It brightens up my day even if I'm not having a bad one to begin with.
3. Talking with a friend, or friends -- whatever distracts or consoles you better. Or just sitting there with them, not saying anything. Probably still munching away at the glorious spread of goodies they brought over to cheer you up.
2. Watching re-runs of Friends on DVD. I sat through the entire first season today; did me a whole lot of good while it lasted.
1. Good tunes. Nay, GREAT tunes. The past 24 hours, I've only been listening to Mêlée, Timbaland, Mute Math, and Kanye. Not exactly artists you'd expect to see in a single playlist, but they might as well be brothers from a different mother. Oh, what would I be without music...DISCLAIMER: All characters, names, situations, and places used are purely fictitious. They are written for the purposes of enlightenment, criticism, and/or sheer entertainment. Any similarity to real people is simply coincidence. So get off my case already.
Situation Complicated: (Note: This is clearly addressed to the men). The president of the company finally calls you by your real name, and not just a spin-off or something that rhymes with it. You couldn't be more psyched. Actually, you are because he just asked you to go to a strip club with him one night after work, you know, to unwind (perv). What do you tell him?
A) "Sure, you're the boss!"
B) "I would want nothing more than a lap dance right about now, but my wife/girlfriend is ovulating (or not, whichever you prefer, of course) so I better run along. Definitely a raincheck."
C) I'll make this an easy one and leave it to just two options. So you guys don't have to ponder on it too long, geez.
Answer: Well, a giveaway; that's a B, of course. But this is actually a trick question, because you must NEVER take a raincheck on something like that, you sleaze bag. Next time you get the urge to splurge on some smutty strip tease extravaganza, why don't you ask your significant other to come with you, or hint that THEY strip for YOU. Without the boss, of course. If you think the idea of it will scare her off, try to break it to her gently. Start by reading dirty magazines together, you know, the ones you read for the "articles." And so on and so forth.
It's one thing to play ball with the boys or go solo on a road trip to "get away." But strip clubs? Come on. Give your girls a reason to be bad sometimes -- they might just like it, too.
After watching The Break-Up, Forget Paris, Knocked Up, and Gwen Stefani's 4 In The Morning music video in one seating, I thought to myself "enough is enough!" Essentially, break ups are caused by miscommunication (given that he/she hasn't cheated already). She says one thing, he hears another, he says something back, ends up hurting her feelings, she cries and kicks him out. It's just sad, right?
This is how I see it: us girls, we just want to feel safe, special, and be appreciated for the things we do for our partners. While guys just want things to be straight-forward, direct to the point, no dillydallying. There's nothing wrong with wanting a little appreciation, nor wanting things to be simple as can be. But if you put subject A (e.g. le femme) together with subject B (e.g. le dude) without clearing all communication barriers, things are bound to get ugly (with the exception of sex, which can be ugly, too, I guess, but that's his/her own preference really).
So I thought, in the course of my blogging, I'd share some things with you all that may (or may not) come in handy someday -- The SitCom Series (short for, you guessed it, Situation Complicated). Don't forget to read the disclaimer, because, well, just read it anyway. I hope men and women out there realize that relationships are supposed to be nurtured and that everybody deserves a second chance -- except for the shmuck that cheats, lies, and basically does nothing when their damsel is in distress.
DISCLAIMER: All characters, names, situations, and places used are purely fictitious. They are written for the purposes of enlightenment, criticism, and/or sheer entertainment. Any similarity to real people is simply coincidence. So get off my case already.
Situation Complicated: Your girlfriend/wife/partner/friend-with-benefits is on bed arrest because of the flu. Has been for days, the poor dear. You...
A) Call her up, make sure she's alright. Ask her if she wants you to hang around and care for her and stuff. Of course, she'll say no, because she wouldn't want you to catch whatever she has (that, or she doesn't want you to see her look like crap). So you agree with her and promise to come visit when she's all better;
B) Send her some flowers (don't forget to sign the card); or
C) Send thoughtful text messages while you're at work, swing by that Chinese restaurant you guys love so much, get some delish soup to go, serve it to your ailing loved one in bed, and snuggle with her after anyway. That's right -- snot, tangled hair, bad breath and all.
Answer: B was a decoy. Flowers would cheer us up on any other given day, but you probably shouldn't waste a perfectly fab boquet when our sinuses are acting up. Just a suggestion. So the best answer would have to be C -- caring message, Chinese take-out, canoodling. The three C's that might just save your equally ailing relationship.
