mareng winnie at pareng ogre

My desk here in the office is on one the corners of the editorial department. I am seated beside the wall and when the mid-afternoon sun is up, heat seeps through the windows and the white blinds, emitting steamy air and strips of sunlight directly at me. Konti na lang, magiging TOCINO na ko dito.

Since I'm in the farthermost nook, air-con hardly reaches me. Heck, even gossips hardly reach me. A blue wall divides me from the rest of the staff, an empty seat separates me from the nearest co-worker, and behind me are overloaded steel cabinets—I am unintentionally secluded.

Bosses have to exert extra effort just to see me. I could browse porn stuff in my little corner without being caught. No one can read my YM messages or overhear my phone calls (don't you just hate office snoops?). I actually have PRIVACY. Ang kaso lang, I will be the last to know if the office is on fire, malapit pa naman sakin yung oven toaster, microwave oven at yung ga-ref na server.

The good thing about being stuck in a corner is I could look bad and not care about it. I don't have to watch how I sit, my hemline or neckline, kaya medyo naiiskandalo si Fran (The Pantyline Police. She even asked me one time to change my undies because of 'em lines).

I love my corner 'cause I have a bad posture and I could slouch here while working. I was recently wearing this red shirt which, apparently, is now too small for me that it becomes "hanging"—not really a good sight.

I was slouching in my red shirt oblivious that my tummy was showing when an officemate blurted: "KAMUKHA MO SI WINNIE THE POOH!"

And then God created laughter.

I was teasing L that he's an "Ogre":

Kitten: "Kamukha mo si Shrek!"
L: "Ikaw naman si Winnie."
Kitten: "Basta Ogre ka!"
L: "Sino ba partner ni Shrek?"
Kitten: "Si Princess Fiona. Princess ako noh."
L: "Ano bang nangyari dun sa Princess?"
Kitten: "Naging Ogre?"
L: "Eh di Ogre ka rin."

And so this Kitten has evolved into  Winnie the Groupie, Winnie the Ogre, Mareng Winnie the Groupie. Ang ending, naging Mareng Winnie and Pareng Ogre kame.

I was wearing this fast-becoming favorite one-shoulder gray top with an intricate cross print a cousin sent from London, and L was giving me a goodbye kiss when he noticed it.

"Bi, ang daming tali ng blouse mo ah, para kang si ULTIMATE WARRIOR."

Tama bang i-compare yung fashion sense ko sa isang has-been wrestler? Binawi naman nya, ako raw yung "Ultimate Baby." Tsaka di ba naka-topless si Ultimate Warrior?

the ultimate devas song

So just how sad was Michael Stipe of REM was when he composed "Everybody Hurts"? The song (and the video) is just so... sad. And listening to it has this saddening effect that makes you want to kill yourself even if you were Sesame Street-happy a few minutes back.

"When your day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes."

Sniff.

'ang pagdadalaga ni kitten andrea'

I just found out through her blog that a former schoolmate is now a mommy- and wife-to-be. She sounded sooo happy and sooo in love (congrats Jayme! Nice ring, by the way). She's 24.

I just found out through Friendster that a former officemate and her boyfriend had been together for NINE YEARS already, and is gearing up for marriage. She's 25.

I just found out again through Friendster (where else?) that one of my more wholesome gradeshool classmates is now a mother of two. She's 23.

I have nothing against seeing couples happy because L and I are always giddy together, but whenever marriage and babies and pregnancy flaunt themselves at me, I CRINGE. As in literal na nangingilo ako.

Man, aren't we still too young for those things?

Why do people want to get married in their early 20s? How sure are they that their partner won't cheat on them? Are they really ready to settle down? Is there such thing as The One?

One thing I'm sure of is I am NOT YET cut-up for motherhood; or "wife-hood" for that matter. Heck, I am just starting to figure out what's it's like to be a girlfriend! These people lasted 7, 8 , even 11 years; while I remain surprised L and I lasted for 8 months (happy mantsari, bebe ).

I can't imagine myself as a mother. L and I were once joking we'd have a "rockstar baby." He insists on NOT having a spoiled kid and I snapped: "Eh pano yung pambili nya ng Havaianas tsaka pang-Starbucks nya?"

I said I want four kids, he said he want only three. I snapped again: "Eh di gagawa na lang ako ng pang-apat."

See, I am not the maternal type. For one, I'm scared of pregnant women. TAKOT AKO SA BUNTIS. Kase imagine, may lamang tao ung tiyan nila! The have real human beings inside their tummies (kinilabutan na naman ako). And after nine months of being a kangaroo, it will come out there? Parang "Alien Ressurection," dude. Ang scary.

Plus, I don't like kids. I have my share of highly annoying, spoiled-rotten stinky pamangkins and I never fuzzed over them. Toddlers are the worst—they are so hyperactive, they destroy things, they won't stop moving or jumping around, they're like puppies!

I have this nephew who stayed in our house for some weeks and his mom trained him to speak ONLY English (Pinoy 'to, ha?). He won't stop asking questions and threw tantrums until 2 am because he doesn't want to sleep.

I told him: "Stop talking to me!" 
He asked: "Why?"
I said: "Because I just don't want to talk to you."

Too mean? No. Because not more than 10 minutes later, he's back armed with questions ranging from "Tita Bing, how did the Earth start?" to "Tita Bing, why is your hair like that?" I swear, bigla akong nagdasal na kung magkakaanak ako, 'wag naman ganon kakulit at ka-brat.

I'm not fond of babies, too. They're miniature... hmmm.... humans. Maliliit silang mga tao and I don't usually touch 'em fearing they might break. Please don't ask me to carry one because I might drop it. I can deal better with teen-angst-laden adolescents na pwede ng turuan ng kalokohan, but no babies or toddlers for me.

I'm like this maybe because I'm an only child who didn't have to deal with kapatids, or maybe because I'm a still a kid myself. Yan ang epekto ng pagiging late-bloomer.

Someday I want to get married, too, but only to the right man, please. Olats na nga Daddy ko eh, dapat maayos naman yung sakin, hehe. I'm not into jewelries (I'd rather travel and buy techie stuff) but I'd want kick-ass engagement and wedding rings. And a Vera Wang gown. Woo-hoo.

I have no plans of getting old or looking old for that matter. So I guess I'll just be a Kitten for a loooong time. 

blood, smoke, booze

Our company nurse checks people's blood pressure DAILY. Maybe our health-care provider is expecting the hypertensive people in the editorial department to drop dead in the middle of work.

(I can picture the editorial assistant saying: "Sir! Mag-caption ka muna bago ka mamatay! Deadline na po!)

I found out this year that I'm anemic. And I actually laughed at the doctor when she told me that I have low blood count: "Doc, sigurado ka? Hihihi. Baket ako anemic? Hahahaha."

I thought chubby people are NOT allowed to have low blood. Fantasy kong matawag na "lampayatot" pero parang hindi yata bagay sakin maging anemic. Anemic = thin pale waifs with bulging eyes.

Some months ago, my BP ranged from very low, low to normal. Last Saturday, it shot up to 140/90 and I didn't even know what that meant till the nurse offered me a pill.

I refused to take it kase low blood nga ako. Maybe my BP skyrocketed due to the lousy badminton games I played in a tournament that morning (no thanks to my partner).

Today, two days later, my BP read high again. Weird. Baka kase kumain ako ng shing-a-ling?

So does that make me an occasionally hypertensive anemic? Nyek.

I think L is asking me to quit smoking, [insert your choice of expletive here].

He hates smokers; he puffed not once in his life. He said he didn't like me before because I smoke.

He never asked me to quit when we got together, though, 'cause  he said I wouldn't do it anyway.

He insists I've been having this sore throat since he knew me. Well, he's right.

L said today I SHOULD quit smoking. Yari. 

I wouldn't do it for L. If ever I'd quit, I'd quit for me. But I don't think I'm ready to give up the Nicodemon soon. My cig consumption have dramatically lowered since I got a BF not because bawal, but because nahihiya ako sa kanya na mag-amoy usok/amoy tatay.

Even my alcohol intaked dropped big time. Tatlong San Mig Light max na lang ako ngayon. Gone were the colegiala days when me and the Drinking Buddhas would down 500-ml bottles of Colt45 at Kitten's Den. Tapos magco-commute ako mula UST, dadaan ng Quiapo at Taft pauwi ng San Andres ng nakainom at naka-uniform pa, partida. 

I hate it when people condemn "disciplined" smokers—those who only puff up in designated smoking areas and use ashtrays all the time. I even had to give up a friend because her BF doesn't want her to be with smokers. Gee.

Fine, smoking is Everythingbad but let me quit in the most convenient time for me. I know L wants me to be healthy but I've been lighting up for 8 years, baby.

Stupid na kung stupid ha? Kase ang akala ko noong maliit pa ko, kailangan mong matutong magyosi para maging isang magaling na writer.

Oo na, olats na.

sabi ng isang editor: "bagay sayo, mukha kang pusa."

go uste!

"Today is Oct. 1, feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary, the patroness of the UST chapel, Manaoag, La Naval and other Dominican institutions. Let's ask her to oblige UST so that the Tigers would deliver a great game tomorrow and win the UAAP championship. Let's pray the rosary in honor of our Blessed Mother and to invite grace for the Tigers."

A beloved Thomasian professor/co-worker/editor sent me that message late last night. I realized that if UST taught me one thing, it's humility.

Ateneo beat us by one point in the last ONE SECOND in game 1, 73-72—"magis" or going beyond the limits, the Ateneans call it. It was a good cardiac game which set the crowd into a frenzy. We left the Araneta Coliseum heartbroken, but not without faith.

We came in full force in game 2. Half of Araneta was a sea of fierce glowing yellow. We pounded our fists and shouted cheers we all know by heart in strong unison. We clasped our hands in prayer during free throws. Suddenly, everyone was a basketball fanatic.

The Tigers battered the Eagles yesterday by 16 points, 87-71. A poignant moment came when the boys BOWED to the animated crowd after the game. We gave them a hearty applause. Ika nga ng isang credit-card ad: "Priceless."

Thomasians cheered the Tigers in World Cup fashion in both games. For a school which hasn't seen a championship game in 7 years, for a team who has been maligned for it's losing streak after a glorious 4-peat victory in the '90s, just making it to the finals is already a blessing.

"We have nothing to lose," coach Pido Jarencio said in an interview. (Read  Smallville Boy's post on this.)

The Growling Tigers forced a deciding game tomorrow. Even if the Tigers lose, I wouldn't mind. They gave their best and played with their hearts. The entire campus and thousands of alumni backed them up, that make up a million-strong supporters. Kung suporta rin lang, walang masasabi ang mga players.

Let me paraphrase a sports article by an Atenista friend after the Tigers won the do-or-die match against UE: "Call it heart, divine intervention, fate, whatever. It doesn't matter. UST made it to the finals."

The Tigers showed that it has regained the power, the heart, the will to win. Whatever happens tomorrow, kudos to the Tigers for proving na hindi Arrogance o Angas ang magpapanalo sa isang laban.

"Who's gonna beat them? Stand up to beat them. Who can? We can! Nobody else can. Animo cheers beat Ateneo!"

This Kulot Kitten is with the Tigers all the way, make way for the fiery cats.