Halo Halo

Part I. Etiquette 101

Pardon the ranting, but I just can’t understand why some people cannot operate even on the minimal measure of courtesy.

One, you don’t barge into the elevator when someone else is on his way out. Common sense would tell you to let that person out first, and then you can enter. Also, don’t make a disapproving sound if you bump into that person who has the right of way.

Second, since we’re neither in Britain nor Japan it’s a given to always keep right. It’s a hitch less in pedestrian traffic.

Third, you don’t move around too much in cramped space especially when you’re on public transportation such as the MRT train. That is trespassing on someone else’s already constricted space of freedom, which is very rude.

Fourth, it’s not really that hard to say “excuse me” or “sorry” in a very mundane situation. The only possible excuse for this would be muteness.



Part II. On The Bright Side

Proof of a few (and near extinct species of) good men: My friend Ana and I were on our way back to ABS-CBN after grocery shopping at Hi-top when a security guard suddenly comes rushing to us with a gargantuan picnic umbrella. Heavily laden with our shopping bags and walking under the scorching heat of the sun, you can just imagine our relief under the shade. Plus he’s got this big smile for us that was infectious.


Part III Wala—Share ko lang

Part of the reason I really enjoyed doing the grocery was this crazy idea Ana and I suddenly had: we were going to do some healthy eating for the week to come. We loaded up on veggies and I had fun stocking up on vitamins, which was a first for me since I’m not much of a supplement drinker. The novelty of eating healthy isn’t wearing off yet (and I come to office everyday just in time for lunch because I don’t want to wait too long hehe), as with everything else new in my life now. Like:

First Day High: My classes started and it was a mix of nostalgia and the odd. The photocopy lady (or Ate Ophel to people at the College of Music) chose that inconvenient time to rant about a non-existent lunch break, which reminded me more than ever of the never-ending pleading with the photocopy ladies at the UST Main Library during thesis days. Then during the actual class my lack of manicure expertise also became apparent, and my instructor took out a nail file and buffer to show me the proper shape my nails should take. Talk about embarrassing, hehe. Barney also gave me homework—a staggering four-chapter assignment which I’ve been putting off up to the last minute I could spare. But the day’s funniest experience was when I was waiting for a cab in the shed right across Quezon Hall. With shades on and the guitar slung on my shoulder a truckload of guys (this is literal—I think it’s some sort of a promotion campaign by Nike) hollered at me: “Let’s rahk en roll!” It was so funny and so unexpected that I couldn’t keep a straight face; I just had to laugh. And they laughed when they saw me laugh. They came back for another round sans the holler, which I attribute to the poker face I was already sporting by then.

Having my soul cards read: Just for the sheer heck of it I tried it with some friends and surprisingly got a good reading. I was amazed—not so much for the predictions she made but how she correctly read my current crisis of overspending. Hehe. It’s just nice to try new things once in a while.

My new books and Tool CD. Enough said.