Guilty Pleasures

Yes, I am guilty, without a doubt.

I confess to the fact that I have several quirks which others may find eccentric while others may find endearing.

These guilty pleasures of mine I’ve kept hidden for such a long time. But since lately, a lot of friends have decided to come out, I guess it’s time for me to let you in on some of my quirkiness.

Peep hole: For security purposes, I’ve installed a peephole in my unit. But I use this tiny hole in my door to spy on my neighbors. Not that I have a lot of interesting neighbors. In fact, in my floor, only 2 units are inhabited most of the time. 3 units, including mine, are like transient houses. And the other one is not occupied yet. But everytime I hear some noise or commotion outside my door, I use this peephole to peek into the lives of my neighbors.

New books: Since I was small, I love smelling new books. Whenever I’m in a bookstore, I almost always try to smell the pages of the books. The feeling is euphoric, bordering on being high.

Google: Maybe due to boredom (or vanity and narcissism), I’ve had this habit of googling my name. I get a pleasure of looking at the hits and the search results. That’s how I found out that some of my friends have been writing about me in their blogs.

Photos: Again, maybe because of vanity and narcissism, I have several ID-size digital pictures of myself. Ever since I started taking these medications, and have started noticing physical changes, I’ve had this habit of regularly (maybe once a week) taking self portraits and saving them in my laptop. I now have a folder of self portraits and mug-shots which I look at every once in a while to assess if there’s improvement in terms of the physical side effects of my medication.

Late night show: I am naturally an owl, a night person. However, since I am not allowed to stay up late (long story), I’ve tried to hit the bed at 10 or 11pm. But since I don’t have cable tv in my unit, I’ve had to make do with the local tv stations. And that’s when I discovered this late night talk show with Jojo Alejar. For those of you who don’t know him, Jojo A is a teen star back in the days (late 80s), and has been a fixture in the now-defunct teen variety show, That’s Entertainment. Now, in his 40s, he still sports the same hairstyle and cracks the same jokes. I got hooked on this show for 2 reasons – it’s a very short show (30 mins) and therefore has a very slim chance of being boring, and because it has no advertisements (how many shows don’t actually have ads!).


Chippy: Everyone (or at least all of my friends) knows that I love Chippy. But only very few actually know that I love Chippy (red, original flavor) with vinegar. It’ll even taste better with ground black pepper. Yummy!

Adobo: Almost all Filipinos love adobo (a dish of marinated meat seasoned with garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper and bay leaf). Filipinos also love to cook their adobo with a twist, therefore claiming that their version is better than others. Others add coconut milk, others add sugar or star anise and even sugar. But I love my adobo with ketchup. Don’t ask why… I just do.

Horoscopes: I know it may sound baduy, but I believe in horoscopes. I used to read the newspaper starting with the horoscope page. But now that I am more technologically savvy, I use the internet. I am enrolled in a daily horoscope and inspirational article services (OM). And another friend regularly sends out inspiring quotes from ‘The Universe’.

Chick flick: I love chick flicks! My favorite is Love Actually. And I usually love watching these during special occasions. See my previous entry (Chick Flick).

Cool fluffy pillows: As stated in my previous entry (Little Joys), I love fluffy pillows. What I did not say is that I love rubbing my foot against a soft, cool and fluffy pillow. This makes me really sleepy.

I could go on and on but I think I’ve said enough. I know my friends will understand. But I’m sure there’ll be those who will squirm in their seats and will probably refuse to talk to me again. So I will stop. But I would love to hear from you.
These are my guilty pleasures. What’s yours?


11:45am
26 March 2008
Santiago City

I Want to Be a Princess

Every little girl’s dream is to become a princess, with her own Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet, ride with her on a white royal horse, ride away to a huge and majestic castle, and live happily ever after.

Well… almost every little girl.

There are those who never wished to be a princess, and instead wanted to be an astronaut and fly to the moon.

There were those who wished to be a scientist and spend all day in the laboratory concocting colorful chemicals to cure all illnesses.

There were those who got addicted to the TV series “6 Million Dollar Man”, and wanted to become bionic and save lives.

There were those who wanted to become an anthropologist and explore the pyramids of Giza and the ruins of Pompeii.

I was this girl. I never wanted beauty, grace and riches. I wanted to become an astronaut, a scientist, a bionic woman and an anthropologist.

While other little girls were pretending to be princesses and fairies, I was pretending to be one of those who are training to fly a rocket ship at NASA space camps. While others were pretending to put on make-up on their faces, I was pretending to mix colorful concoctions which will be the magic medicine in the future. While my other playmates were watching Cinderella and other Disney movies, I was hooked on 6 Million Dollar Man, and wanted to have bionic vision and strength. While my classmates were reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, I was reading anthropology books featuring ruins of ancient civilization and cities.

But now… I don’t want to be an astronaut, a scientist, bionic woman, nor an anthropologist.

I… want… to… be… a… princess!!!

Now, I want to wear pretty shoes and dresses, eat sumptuous food, go to fun places, attend grand balls and parties, do graceful things and be treated like a princess.

Did I digress? Did I suddenly become so flaky and banal?

I thought really hard and reflected. I think that my desire to become a princess is because I’ve felt how it is to be a non-Princess. I have already become, in one way or another, an astronaut, a scientist, bionic woman, and an anthropologist.

I have been an astronaut. Although I’ve never been on the moon, I have flown over land and sea, and over the clouds during my travels. I have mixed not chemicals, but colors in my painting palette, and have created works of art. I’ve been under the scalpel twice, but not to be bionic, but to become better. I am not an anthropologist, but I have been to places which are considered to be the cradle of civilization.

I have become all the things that I’ve always wanted, and more. So now, being a princess will just be a piece of cake. After all, I think I am already a princess. Who says that a princess can’t fly to the moon, concoct medical magic, discover ruins and become bionic?

So please rise up and give way to the princess.


08:05 pm
03 Mar 2008
Fairview, QC