PURE BLISS

i was having lunch awhile ago when someone rang the doorbell. i opened the door and there was this lanky looking guy that gave me a package.

catch: ano to?
lanky looking guy: pinabibigay po ni ma'am ched.
catch: sino yun?
lanky looking guy: kaibigan po yun ng nanay nyo.
catch: (while opening the package and looking at what's inside) WAAHHHHH!!!!! TEA LATTE!!!!!!!
lanky looking guy: (weird look on face) sige po.
catch: salamat.

then i closed the door. i hurriedly got my phone and dialed my mom's number.

"ring, ring, ring"
mom: ano yun?
catch: may nagdala ng tea latte mix dito sa bahay. galing daw from your friend ched.
mom: ah, oo. i told her kasi about your obsession with the tea lattes sa 7/11 sa bangkok. nag tatanong ako kung meron sya ganun.
catch: bat meron sya ganito?
mom: (laughing) di ko din alam. sa kanya din galing yung red iced tea mix na gusto mo from tokyo tokyo dati.
catch: (lauging) siya ba source ng mga hard to find drink mixes na hindi binibenta sa market.
mom: (lauging) siguro. try mo na then tell me kung yan nga yun.
catch: okay
mom: okay. bye.
catch: bye.

i then opened the pack and made my self an iced tea latte. it was pure bliss. this was the very same tea latte from the 7/11s in bangkok. hahaha. it's been a while since i've been to a 7/11 store here since ministop opened across the street directly infront of our house. i wonder if the 7/11s here sell the same tea latte. im yet to find out.

post script:

i just realized that the red iced tea mix, apparantly from ched as well, was packed for amds/dispensers too. this tea latte mix is packed the same. the red iced tea mix was also the same red iced tea served in tokyo tokyo. i guess she has sources for drink mixes that are not sold for retail in stores. lucky me....

PEOPLE WATCHING

one thing i enjoy doing is people watching. i like looking at people. i just love to observe and whirl with the thoughts that would run through my mind.

airports are my mecca for people watching. during my travels, i actually dont mind checking in way ahead of time so just i could people watch. i would just sit on one spot and watch people go by. i find it very enriching. i would ponder what country they are from or where they are headed next or perhaps why they are dressed a certain way or what their purpose for travel is.

*sitting in one corner

*people watching

by people watching i see all sorts of differences in culture - how liberal some people are and how conservative some people might get. one instance, as i was sitting on the floor in an airport in thailand, a group of caucausian girls boldly strip down in their undies, put on deodorant, and put on new set of clothes. they didn't seem to mind everybody else around them (good thing they didn't. lol). i so wanted to snap a photo but that would be just darn inappropriate. they seem to be in haste, probably late for check in. on the other hand, while i was lined up in border control, i saw a group of islam women (i pressumed) all covered in layers of black cloth from head to toe. if i am not mistaken, islam women are forbidden to show any skin. then i wondered how the border control officers would handle such a case. the border control officers are supposed to check identities and see if they match the photo in passports. i was very eager to find out but it was i next in queue so i never got in finding out how. crap.

sometimes i also wonder how language barriers are bridged. there was this one time when i saw a korean woman, probably my age, who seemed pretty lost in the airport. being the helpful person that i am (ehem), i approached her and asked her what seemed to be the problem. she just looked at me and said a phrase in korean that ended with the word "english." i got it, she doesn't speak english. no wonder she was having a hard time. all the signage in the airport are written either in english or in the country's native language. then she bowed down and left.

people watching is fun. just make sure you dont cross the line from just observing to being just rude.

LAST SATURDAY

last saturday, i was badly craving for alcohol. i badly wanted to get wasted just for the sake of being wasted. so i did.

last saturday, the bad ass typhoon ondoy hit the country. some of my friends were greatly affected - one lost a car and a home, one lost a grandmother and an aunt, and some are still unreachable so i aint got any idea about. a cousin got stranded somewhere in banawe ave and was forced to take refuge in a bus for the night.

last saturday, we rushed a friend to the hospital. she suddenly had a seizure. the physicians are yet to find out the cause. no, she wasn't drinking alcohol with us. while i and some friends were drowning ourselves with beer, she was having a home serviced pedicure. i swear, i felt all intoxication washed out from me when the incident happened.

last saturday, i bacame number one in the facebook game "plock". effin 2M++ score. hahaha. a friend came so close but ain't enough.

last saturday, i ate one whole footlong sandwich and salt and vinegar flavored veggie chicharon. a feat for me. hahaha.

how was your saturday?

THE DRINK AND THE DRUNK

im in the mood of being wasted this saturday night (smirk!). ive realized recently that my tolerance for alchohol has increased drastically. good for me.

i was just sorting out photos in my hard drive when i realized that i have tons of photos either holding a bottle of beer or being totally wasted in many different occasions. hahaha. i never actually thought that id come to such point. i was never really into drinking (or so i make myself believe). i dont like the taste of beer and yet looking thru the photos it seems otherwise.

as i browse thru each photo one by one, i recall each particular event. i try to remember how much alcohol i actually ingested and if my memory serves me right, it seems a hefty LOT. hahaha.

i guess gone are the days of being alcoholically demure and cheers to morning after hang-overs and dry mouth.

RETRIBUTION

light has gone astray and the bitter cold has set in. this is it! the day has finally come.

i was in refuge for such a long time and now time has come to finally claim what was long overdue. i've been holding on to every bit of light that i would see spark and now all seemed to be exasperated. as i look around mere shadows are taking shapes that are unknown to me. i cannot deny this anymore. this must be faced.

i feel blinded though. this is something i knew that was bound to happen but never seemed to be at arm's reach. darkness has crept in every direction. as i try to feel everything around me, with eyes fixed into nothingness, i shiver. the stillness i sense now will soon betray me.

am i ready? regardless, i have no choice but to succumb, to surrender. choice is not an option anymore. the enevitable is invariably occuring before me. "why prolong the agony?" i hear myself say.

i open my arms wide and shut my eyes and i let the vast blackness engulf me. i feel every part of me being torn into pieces yet i feel no pain. this is something i did not expect. "this is suppose to hurt!" i hear myself say, once more. then, in just a fraction of time, it was all over.

as i lay broken, catching my every breath, i hear a distant sound. i cannot make out the sound i am hearing yet it feels soothing. it is calming. in this sound i shall take refuge once again. i shall linger, i shall rest.

RUNABOUT CURSE

once again, i found myself back in the runabout.

it's been a long while since i was back in it. it sucks. life has become boring again. before i had my recent trip i was doing okay. it seemed that i was on track with my life. i had important things to do. it seemed life had purpose. i had an agenda on hand and i was effin doing fine with it.

now, i feel lost again. when i got back, it seemed i lost track of everything. i dont do my studying anymore nor do i watch the usual tv series that i follow. all of a sudden, i feel like im doing the same routine i eagerly left behind a long time ago. i feel like i lost spontaneity.

i'd wake up at around 2 pm. i'd eat lunch then sleep again. i'd wake up at around 5 pm. i'd take a bath then i'd eat dinner. at 7 pm i'd come over to my friend's house. we'd then start to think of what we'd like to eat for the night (burger, cake, starbucks, chips, whatever we agree upon). i'd stay there till around 3 am then i'd go home. i'd take a shower, floss and brush my teeth, then go to bed. the next day, the same would transpire again. for cryin out loud, i don't even have time for my dog anymore. that's something unacceptable. this has been constantly happening since saturday. i'm being stagnant again. it bothers me.

looking in the mirror, im starting not to like what i see. i'm gaining a little poundage. that's sucks. looking at my dog, i feel he's going insane. he's been chewing his bed mattress beyond recognition. the stuffing is all over the place. i haven't given him his bath this week yet as well.

i need intervention. this has to end. i need some fuckin motivation.

BACK FROM BKK

IM BACK...