i slipped on the stairs

I'm still alive. My left butt and lower back hurts a good major deal, i have bruises on both ankles, and I almost pulled off my nephew's arm but I'm still alive.

Blame it on the new shoes, another vanity hazard.

I was wearing my new 2-inch, studded black slip-ons---that I yesterday got on 50-percent discount---when I went to Kingswood to visit my cousin Maw and nephew Wei. They just moved in yesterday, their 9th house in 12 years (since Wei was born).

Maw and I chatted over dinner. Their flat is a just block from the office so that means I could visit them more often, like today when I forgot my wallet on my bed and absolutely have no dinner money.

I guess I'm still lucky 'cause I had exactly P7 coins on my purse on  the way to work---the minimum fare I needed to go to Makati. Buti na lang hindi na P7.50 ang pamasahe or else babalik pa ko ng bahay maski nakasakay na ko ng jeep.

with grumpy wei on the way to the zoo

Weiland accompanied me till the front door of the building on the way back to work. I was clutching his arm as we're going down the stairs and told him: "Hawakan mo ko, Wei, baka malaglag ako" then zooooooooooooom----gumugulong na ko sa hagdan. I predicted my fall.

My heels slid on the marble floor and the next thing I know, pinupulot na ko ng isang ale. I didn't easily gain my footing and the big, fair-skinned lady in pink was helping me get on my feet. I was laughing, as if the funniest thing happened just happened to me. I felt embarrased more than pained, and the only thing I could do was... laugh. Thinking about it now, I must've looked incredibly stupid.

The lady asked me over and over if I was ok, I smiled and said "Yes." She wasn't smiling, she looked very worried; a lola on the stairs also checked me out. The lady said I should always hold on the railings since the stairs are really slippery. Maybe it was a really bad fall, good thing Wei didn't let go of me.

I might never wear those shoes again, at least not on marble floors.

mag-tita a little before christmas eve

Which got me thinking, I could have smashed my head on those stairs and I was even planning to take Wei on one of my summer trips? Now I'm not too confident of taking care of someone else, fact is I can't even take care of myself.

I've always been scared of stairs, that's why I prefer that L holds my lower back when I'm on one (the only other guy who does so by instinct is Miko). During my first few months at work, I was half-expecting to fall from the office's wide spiral staircase anytime. I've been in the same elevator-less office for four years but I'm still to have my anticipated hagdan accident.

How I got bruises on both ankles from last night's slip is beyond me. Maybe I kicked myself---told you I have a way of fascinating myself. I have to take extra care since I don't always have a strong-armed nephew, a boyfriend, or a Miko with me. Maybe I should start by not walking on shiny floors in discounted heels.

hair mousse and head shakes

Am I the only curlytop who uses mousse in this country?

I used to consume bottles after bottles of Professional Touch hair mousse but, probably because of the weather, it gets too watery in the long run.

I decided to change brands but there was very little choice that fits my budget. My hair is very thick---lion-hair thick---and it would take multi-balls of mousse to set it up. I consume a tall bottle per week when my curls reaches my bra-line, so as much as I want to use Bedhead, Lee Stafford and other Essenses products daily, I can't. It would cost me an arm and a leg---and probably a boob.

On lazy normal days I just put it up in a bun with a chopstick. Otherwise it's just in a ponytail. But since I got it chopped last month in prep for summer, my hair became mousse-dependent again else I'd look like a singkit Simba.

The problem is, there isn't much mousse in the market.

Robinson's and Watsons only carry Professional Touch and L'oreal (a little costly for a small bottle); Shopwise has that and Finesse (matigas sa hair); PCX has Suave (flakes and causes balakubak) and another brand with Middle Eastern instructions I can't trust.

The rest of the shelves has rows and rows of gel, hair spray and serum. Where the hell are the mousse bottles? Ako lang ba ang kulot sa Pilipinas na nagmo-mousse? What does the rest of kulot community use on their hair?

Curl-defining, hypo-balakubak mousse would be on the top of my list next Christmas. Maybe I should really try living in another country.

L and I had a big, heated argument a while ago---from the phone, through text, and finally in person. And I noticed one thing, these word wrestlings usually happen when:

1) I'm on PMS
2) I'm on my period.

Meron ako ngayon, and L said mukha raw akong papatay ng tao. Actually gusto kong tagpasin kanina yung nguso ng makulit na bata sa likod ko sa Jollibee.

You may quote me on this: PMS is not an excuse, it's a threat.

Well, for me at least. My hormones go on overdrive and I shift into a very-violent-punyeta-kayong-lahat mode when it's the time of the month. My gyne says it's normal and I'm even lucky I'm not into throwing things. I'm into hitting people. Nothing personal, really.

Nanggigilgil na talaga ko kanina, and so was L. We were hurling hurtful words and accusations and sumbats and I was already weeping in homicidal anger. We were fuming. And when I'm MAD, I clench my teeth and cry a lot (almost always PMS-induced).

He apologized thrice and explained things but I just shook my head. Cried, shook my head, and stuffed my  mouth with a blanket in succession so my mother wouldn't hear me wailing (we're in my room, door ajar). He got pissed 'cause I won't listen and just turned my head left and right.

L imitated me and screamed: "Iling ka ng iling diyan, ano ka ba?"

I burst out laughing. My boyfriend just did a Donald Duck impersonation. And he did it very well. He looked like a duck in glasses.

I choked on my own tears, listened, and made him promise not to do that thing he did again; in turn, I promised him I'd lessen the ilings. After which I shut up, ceased crying and hit him with a few quick heavy jabs, took a deep breath, and the next thing was a blur of hugs, kisses, I'm sorries and I love yous.

I almost called off next week's Baguio trip but Donald Duck saved the day. Till next month's period, baby.

word of the day: 'inuyat'

Over dinner at McDonalds Kingswood, someone was belting out "because of youuuuuuuuu" on the speakers while L and I were having dinner.

Me: Sinong kumanta nyan?
L: (chewing) Kelly Clarkson
Me: Ano, Jessica Simpson?
L: (still chewing) Kelly Clarkson.
Me:  Ha, Eric Clapton?
L: KEL-LY CLARK-SON
me: Ahhhhh, Janet Jackson!

Hihirit pa sana ko ng Michael Jackson but I was already laughing the fries out of my mouth.

Does anyone here know the meaning of the word "inuyat"? I thought I knew the weirdest Tagalog words since my parents are from Bulacan and we speak hardcore Tagalog, but I have no idea what inuyat means.

Iniatially, it sounded bastos to me.

L and were having our requisite Thursday dinner last night in a Japanese place and he was making tsimis about his officemate who dramatically lost weight. He said the dude used to be as big as him, but after five months, the guy had shrunk into half.

L: Ang laki ng pinayat nya kaso ang pangit, mukha shang INUYAT.
Me: Anong inuyat?
L: Inuyat, parang ano... inuyat!
Me: Ba't parang tunog ulam? Parang inipit? Inasal? Inigang, Inadobo, Iniscabeche...
L: Oo, parang inaksiw, inirito...

Sadly,  I still don't know what inuyat means. Better ask my mom who said "pinatiti" is "drained" and "patitiin" is "to drain"---among other old Tagalog words you've probably never heard of.

I met Mau Marcelo, the first Philippine Idol, last December during our company Christmas party. She sings pretty good, but what I like most is I look thin and fair beside her.

I'm getting into the "Idol" fever. Never really cared much about "American Idol" till I watched the auditions in Seattle last night on Star World and it was hilarious!

Simon called Seattle "the worst city ever," actually it was some general assembly of freaks. It was so funny that I also watched the replay simultaneous with the "AI" spoof on "MadTV."

I told Fran, beaming: "Grabe, sobrang kamukha ni Ryan Seacrest and Paula yung sa 'MadTV' last night. Sobrang funny. Pati yung panga ni Ryan kuha nila."

Fran: "Ano ka ba? Sila talaga yun, special guest sila. The rest are from the cast, at si Kelly Clarkson din yun kung 'di mo alam. 'Di mo ba binasa yung credits?"

Actually, all I know about Kelly Clarkson is she's blonde, she sings, and she was an Idol. If I see her in a sea of blondies, I won't be able to identify her.

With more TV time, I'm getting more "AI" education and catching up on pop. And I've discovered that watching JackTv till 5 am makes you feel like a jackass when you wake up.

blog coma

This blog has been in comatose, and most of my Motime friends' blogs, too. Hazel transferred to another bloghost, most stayed here but hardly written anything, others had too many blogs they don't know which to update anymore and ended up with multiple blog comatose. I, meanwhile, has been keeping a secret, more personal, more jologs blog.

Why?

Because somehow I was pressured to write. Like, if I come up with something really funny and interesting, my next entry should be funnier and more interesting. That, and people from work knew about this blog so I felt kinda, hmmm, exposed. And it didn't help that some of these workmates are multi-awarded, Pulitzer-trotting editors of no less than the country's leading newspaper. I'm sensationalizing, of course---one of the hazards of the job.

This self-imposed self-consciousness is crap, you might think. Maarte, I know, 'cause this is a public domain and everyone would have access to my blog 'cause that's what a blog is supposed to be about, right?

Yes, but then I had a STALKER. Not just a blog-lurker but a stalker who views almost ALL my online accounts---from my blog to Friendster to my Multiply and Flickr albums (feel free to add me up). Stalker annoyed me so much that I got too lazy to blog because I know I'm being watched. Stalker made me feel like Paris Hilton running from paparazzi. Or Lindsay Lohan with decent underwear.

So I guess I have to reformat my blog, maybe I'll change my template, or at least my header. I used to play mysterious and didn't use names or photos of real people, but I guess I've had enough of codes and cropped pictures. I was scared of writing too many Boyfriend Blogs because I hated blogs that contain nothing but boyfriend stories, but now I think I'd be writing more about L and girlfriendhood.

I don't know how many people actually read me (I used to measure it by the sheer number of hits and comments---another no-no). I haven't been reading people's blogs lately, too.

I'm not anyone's entertainer and I can't always come up with the wittiest stuff so I guess I'll have to admit that I'm one self-absored blogger and bombard you all with my stories, whatnots, photos and just write.

The Kitten is back. Meow.