Eight Random Facts About Me

Igorot Blogger (I often called him Sir B, which I think is nice, but he thinks it's too formal) has tagged me to list eight random facts about myself.

These are the rules for this tagging thing, which I'm supposed to post as well:

• We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.


• Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.


• People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.


• At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.


• Don’t forget to leave them a comment on their blog telling them they’re tagged, and you read their blog.

Since I was up to the challenge, I then thought of eight things about me, myself and I that I could share without being too uncomfortable. These are what I came up with:

1. I started reading early and I was a certified bookworm in elementary, so much so that my mother would rip the books (usually pocketbooks) I was reading or hide them every time she catches me, because I forget to do the household chores or the things she asked me to do.

2. By profession, I am a journalist but I got involved in the work of Bible Translation. My friend, Jesse, who is also a journalist by profession but is now working in Dubai, says she is now a journalist on LOA. If she is on LOA, I guess I am retired =)

3. I am a chocoholic. I love chocolates! I just ate a little Snickers bar after dinner hehehe... I also have a sweet tooth. My friend, Ferri Cardia, would also tell you that I'm an ice cream addict. I wonder, can you have a sweet tooth and not be chocoholic?

4. I always say I am the eldest of four siblings, but actually, I had an eldest brother who died when we were young (God bless his soul). I am the next in rank, so I got the title of eldest by default.

5. When I laugh, tears would fall from my eyes. I think it may be hereditary because my mom and my aunts are also like that.

6. I like jamming or videoke sessions; they are one of my stress-busters. I miss my dorm days where my roomies and I can just gather in our room and sing the day away. Incidentally, some older classmates in the graduate school I attended gave me the title 'karaoke queen' because they couldn't believe that I know most of the old songs (courtesy of my father hehehe...).

7. I only wore earrings after I graduated from college; I haven't bothered before that. Ina, my grandmother from my mother's side, was the one who pierced my ears hehehe...

8. I get scared easily so I don't like horror movies; they stay with me for a long time. If I do watch, I'd have to have a companion. But I like cartoons =)

There, folks, that's me! Hehehe... Hmmm... the next thing I'm supposed to do is to tag eight others. Igorot Blogger has not tagged Ferri Cardia so Sis, you are tagged; Manong Bob; Ading Sarah; Jesse (she can do it on her Friendster blog since Multiply is blocked in Dubai); Okay and his wife, Luz (that is, if they still have time to do this since Luz just gave birth to their first child, Fanuz); my twin friends, Robyn and Joanne.

Now, friendz, you have to do this or else I will put pressure on you, so much so that it would create another typhoon Milenyo. So for love of country (sparing the Philippines from another disaster), DOH it. (I think this is better than the purgatory stuff of Igorot Blogger hehehe... Jokis!) But the most important thing is, enjoy!

Bitter or Better?

In my visit to a bookstore, I was browsing through their collection when I came upon the section on counseling and advice. I chanced upon this book, (unfortunately, I forgot the title), that supposedly talks about coming to terms with heartaches or broken hearts, and the process of healing and moving on. Since I am going through this difficult situation at this point in time, my curiosity was piqued.

After reading the summary at the back, I turned the page to the first chapter and the title got me. It posed a very striking question: bitter or better? It hit me right in the head. You see, when it comes to dealing with my own pain, I get lost. But, I have always held that one should experience the hurt, allow oneself to mope, feel depressed, get angry and what have you, (in fact, you cannot help it!), not only because that is the reality of broken hearts but also because one has to get it out of his/her system. And I believed that one has to go through this before the process of healing takes over. Of course, where and when you show this kind of behavior is different for each person. Some people are transparent while others tend to do their grieving in private.

In one of the scenes of the movie Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch asks his sick and dying professor Morrie, if he ever gets deppressed, angry or fearful because of his condition, and Morrie says that of course, it is but natural. However, he adds that he does not dwell long in that negative moment, but he acknowledges the feeling and basks in it for a moment; afterwards, he distances himself from it and moves on. Even in his condition, he recognizes that life still has much to offer.

It was such an awesome lesson for me, because to be able to do that, you have to have reached a certain maturity and discipline in order that your emotions do not control or limit your positive outlook in life; that despite the odds, there is still a measure of hope. However, I tried practicing Morrie's way, but a lot of times, it did not work, much as I'd like to have that kind of emotional discipline and maturity. It takes me a longer time to get over an emotion and a lot of times, I get stuck. In a sense, I think that there is also a certain masochistic bent to it -- the monster in me wanting to squeeze every sorry stuff out of the situation I am in. It is so easy for someone who is broken-hearted to be bitter, to continually rage against one's lot or to indulge in the negative emotions for a long time, and this becomes even more complicated because this can be addictive.

But somehow, this book, which I just browsed, was able to wake me up from some of my tendencies. It was as if someone physically knocked me out of my reverie, or like I was seeing the movie Tuesdays with Morrie again, and the same lesson is being repeated. It was warning me not to inflict more wounds on myself and to accept the fact that somethings are not meant to be. No use crying over spilled milk, as the saying goes (which is better said than done though). That is why, this idea of being better than bitter attracted me. To be better requires a lot of energy and effort, which is difficult since the negative emotions can zap the strength out of anybody. Ultimately then, to be better is a decision that one has to purposely embrace everyday.

Nowadays, the first chapter's title keeps repeating itself in my head like a mantra whenever I feel the urge to mope, be deppressed and give up. Bitter or better? Bitter or better? BITTER OR BETTER? I hope in time, I can confidently answer the question with 'Who wants to be bitter? BETTER of course'.

(Note: I just had to unload some serious stuff as a sort of catharsis or else my head would explode. Hehehe...)

Toilet Etiquette

How's this for contextualizing 'love your neighbor' the Singapore Christian way? The hostel for singles where i live has a lot of friendly reminders for the hostelites using the common facilities like the lounge and the bathrooms/toilets. This reminder is my favorite because I always read it when I go to the toilet hehehe... Other etiquette reminders are subtle; the post in the bathroom says "Did you leave your hair behind?", while in the rooms, the post starts with "Thank you for taking good care of the facilities..." Friendly, but with a bite! =)

Pedicure with a Twist

My farmer feet takes a long needed

scrub and pedicure for a very extravagant price...

Who would have thought that a pedicure could cause me an arm and a leg, and maybe my head as well? I know everything here in Singapore is expensive, but I did not know how expensive it could be to get your nails done. I was of the mistaken notion that I could find a cheap shop where this kind of service would not be as expensive. In the Philippines, I can get a pedicure for P50 in the cities and cheaper rates back home. I should have dropped my Mass Comm degree, which is of no use in my line of work now, and traded it for a PMA course (Pukis, Manicure, Agkulot) when I had the chance, had I known that I could get this hefty amount by doing those here.

I could have tolerated seeing my nails' color evolve through time – from blatant red to dirty white, but the ingrown in my left toenail kept bugging me. It began to hurt because I now walk regularly and it gets pressed. As soon as I take off my shoes and socks, I could feel the nails cutting through the flesh.

I guess I should blame it all on the doctor who removed my whole left toenail years ago after I had a nail infection, and closed the corners where the sides of the nail ought to be. He told me that the toenail will not grow back, but he was grossly wrong! It did grow back and it started to cut through the flesh until the toe got infected again. When I got tired of drinking antibiotics, I went to have the toenail cut by a pedicurist, who when hearing about my minor operation promptly declared that the doctor was tabbed (stupid) for telling me that the nail won't grow back, because they do grow back eventually even when the whole nail is removed. Since that time, I had to have my pedicure regularly or else the same cycle of infection would happen.

A Singaporean friend accompanied me to the shopping district where this kind of service are supposedly cheaper but when we looked around, the rates were even more expensive than those I saw in another shopping center. Since I did not want to inconvenience my friend by asking her to accompany me to another shopping center next week and I also did not want to wait another week, I took a deep breath and unwillingly went into one of those shops.

They have two different kinds of services: the classic pedicure, which involves removing the cuticles, shaping and painting the nails, and the express one, which was definitely cheaper, but just involves shaping and painting the nails. I did not have any choice because I need to have my cuticles removed so I had to go for the more expensive one. (My mother would really strangle me if she learns the amount that I paid for this huhuhuhu...).

The service was not what I expected. It was rather nice and elaborate but I did not have the mindset to enjoy it as I was thinking all the while of the amount I would be paying, and regretting my decision at some point. But the process goes like this: first, they soak your feet in warm water to soften the nails. After that, they clean the nails and its surroundings and they take a long time to do that. In the Philippines, the pedicurist will clip the sides of all the nails so I was waiting for that part but it never came. Instead, the pedicurist asked me what toenail was hurting and I pointed to my left toenail and she started to scrape at the sides of the nails. This is interesting because in the Philippines (always my point of reference of course), they cut the ingrown using a nipper, but here, they use a tool that scrapes at the sides of the nails to lessen it. Then she asked me if it still hurt and when I said no, she stopped. But I asked her to scrape some more of it. She asked me if my right toenail hurt and when I said no, she did not bother scraping it. She let my feet soak some more in the warm water.

So I thought the whole thing was over. But, she took my feet out again and began giving me a foot scrub. This was a whole new experience for me as the only foot scrub I experienced was, when as a child, we would rub our feet on the stones when we go for baths in the Chico river hehehe... When she was finished, she rubbed lotion from my ankles down to my toes then she massaged them. If only she did a whole body massage, that would have made my day, and would have made me forget the amount. She dried my feet then applied the color I chose. This was a tedious process because she applied the coating thrice and very slowly. After this, she asked me to go and put my feet under what I call a 'feet blower' (I don't know what they call the machine), which blows cold air into my feet to dry the nails. It took about 10 minutes so I had time to chat with the friendly workers there.

Reluctantly, I paid the amount and went home, still dazed, hoping that my nails would not bug me for more than a month or that I could find a cheaper foot studio. Maybe, I should go looking for those other Filipino hang-outs here, aside from the famous Lucky Plaza in Orchard Road because it is too far from where I stay. I am sure that there would be a Filipina around who can do pedicure at a cheaper rate.