My past revisited

3/4/00 I had a good day today. Expensive but good. I have transferred to a new hotel last night and boy, is my new hotel classy! Cher! (expensive) Last night, I tried to book for a ticket in the Phantom of the Opera play but I was told to try again on Saturday morning. I was thinking of going to Bath and Stonehenge today but I decided to do that on Sunday. I'm really tired and I need a good night sleep and rest. Thus, I woke up at my leisure, around 8:30am. The breakfast here is free because I got an executive room (at almost the same price as the cheap hotel reserved for me, hah!). I again tried to get a ticket for the Phantom of the Opera but I was told by the concierge that it's sold out. So, I just went out to find the nearest subway and learn my way around. It's a good thing that the line from my hotel to my office is just one so it's easy for me to calculate how long it's going to take me to travel. That's the first thing I did, I went to the st...

Lost. That’s my first impression of Paris. I hear phrases and words that I do not understand and it’s making my head swim. I could be in twilight zone since my manager looks like an alien but, then I see a lot of beautiful people and I have to change my mind again. French, to a stranger, is a very melodious language. It’s so beautiful that you just want to hear it over and over again. Of course, this was not my tune on my first week in Paris. I felt like I’m being bombarded by words that’s making me feel smaller and smaller by the minute. When someone talks to me in French, I was literally out of words. I’d give them this blank face that’s probably very funny if I can only see it (yeah, I know, I look funny as it is). My first attempt of communicating in French was a disaster. I was trying to ask where the toilet is (Où est la toilette?) but I instead said “Thank you for your toilet” (Merci la toilette). Wow! It was so funny that I was laughing at myself so hard. It ...

One of the fondest memories of my childhood is the library. I am reluctant to admit that I was a library buff when I was still in elementary, but it's true. I remember how I used to go to the library during recess time. I'd spend those times reading books while my classmates were busy running around and having a lot of fun. Not that reading books wasn't fun for me. It was actually fascinating. I'm not sure how it all started; I just know that I love to read. We have a whole set of encyclopedia and ten volumes of poetry, prose and stories. The stories range from classics like "Pride and Prejudice" to "Arabian Nights" and "Cinderella". I spent a lot of time reading and re-reading those books. I guess that's the reason why I know a lot of stories that my classmates, friends and family don't know about. I also didn't pass the chance of reading the encyclopedia. I love them so much that I used to browse through them for any topic I w...

I've met these three women (well, at least two of them undoubtedly are) in Andersen Consulting. We were all part of a new project involving PeopleSoft applications. Okay, before I go on a tirade about these three, let me introduce them first. Zesto is Cez Tolentino, Bading is Sally Librilla and Sister is Noreena Mariano. Reena is well known to me since we were part of the same batch in AC. But the other two were strangers to me. Well, not totally. I did see them every now and then lurking in hallways and in the pantry. But, that's the extent of my knowledge of their existence (which is probably something they can say about me too). My first meeting with my new teammates only involved Cez and Sally. Reena was on vacation and had no idea that she just became part of a new project. We were all excited because we were told that our training for PeopleSoft would be held in Australia and in New Zealand. Imagine! We'd be able to travel in two countries in two weeks. It was a novel...

"Mommy Ther, Mommy Ther, tingnan mo ang grade ko.", and my three year-old pamangkin proudly showed me her test result. All of my pamangkins call me Mommy Ther. I guess it was a tradition that we got from my mom's family because we call her other two sisters, Mama and Nanay. I have three nieces and a nephew from my brother and my two sisters. Toni is the oldest and the first apo in my family, then there's C-vic (an abbreviation for Charles Victor). Next in the line is my niece Marian from my youngest sister and then there's Angelica Louise from my twin sister. Toni will be four years old this coming November 19. C-vic is two and a half years old, Marian is two and Louise is barely 7 months old. I was not very fond of children before. I found them too noisy and too annoying. While other people were going crazy over a child, I used to just look in total indifference. I just don't see what the fuss was all about. And then, Toni came along. She was the first apo in...

I am 26 turning 27. I have been working for more than seven years now. And what have I got to show for it? Nothing much, I'm afraid. Okay. So, I have some savings in the bank. But for someone who has been working for as long as I am, you would think I'd have so much more to show than that. I just figured that I should be driving my own car by now. Or, managing my own business already. Well, money has always been a problem. I did not come from a wealthy family. I have been supporting my family ever since I started working. This is one of the reasons why I am not able to save a lot. However, I don't feel bitter about it. It's just something I feel I should do. What I regret is not learning to seriously save money. I only started to save last 1995 through the urging of a friend. And, although I was able to save a lot, it doesn't seem to be enough. Well, it's not yet enough for me to pursue my MBA. This is the reason why I tried to save money. All the while I'm ...

I am an anorexic. It is not something I am proud of but I know I am one. I am 5'2 and supposedly, the average weight for me is between 110 to 115 pounds. I am only 105 lbs. right now but I feel like I'm so fat already. I'd like to maintain a 98 lbs. weight so, imagine my shock when I learned that I gained seven pounds in three weeks! I don't know exactly when it started, I just know now that I have anorexia nervosa. I can still remember a time in my life when I don't give a hoot about the type and amount of food I ate. I just took in what I can without any fuss about it. I was not conscious of my figure then. One day, all of that changed when I saw an attractive and sexy girl and I got envious of how she looked. Since then I have started to watch my food intake and I always try to maintain a 98 lbs. weight. There are perks and drawbacks in being slim. I can confidently wear clothes that show off my figure and I can fit in a size 20 of kid's clothing with room to...

Valentine's day is coming. You'd notice it by all the red heart designs splashed all over. Love cards are out and dozens are being sold everyday. After the busy Christmas season, it's now the day of hearts that people are busy with. Flower peddlers will be abundant in the street. Motels will be fully booked and restaurants will be filled to their capacity. Men will be spending a lot of money to buy flowers, chocolates and cards for their love ones. Sometimes even women do the same. All these for the so dubbed 'Day of Hearts'. For an unattached person like me, Valentine's Day doesn't hold any special treat. In fact, you won't catch me dead having a gimmick on this day for fear of being labeled a baduy. Sure, you'd say it's because I have no special someone to celebrate the day with. When someone gives me a retort like that, I usually answer 'Sure, rub it in. Why don't you just take a knife and plunge it in my heart?' I am, of course, j...

Fear gripped my heart. My palms were sweaty and I felt cold all over. I was in Mine's View Park looking over Baguio's losing battle against urbanization. My friend asked me to step up to a rock no higher than one foot. But I was frozen in place. I can't seem to move without my friend's help. He held my hand and helped me overcome my fear. It is funny how something so easy seemed so hard for me to do. I envied the children I saw playing around without a care, without fear. I am afraid of heights. I cannot look down from tall buildings without feeling dizzy and cold all over. When I saw Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino in Devil's Advocate, daring life itself by standing at the ledge of a high building, boy, did I envy them ! There must be something about some people that makes them fearless in handling what I fear. When I was in New Jersey, we went to an amusement park there called Six Flags. There was this ride that they aptly call as the 'Dare Devil Dive' or D3. A...