It's been a year

Since I went with green bubbles.

I think it's time for a change.

And so here we are.

Hope you like the new template.

People I don't know

Facebook has a feature called "People You May Know". Essentially it points you to other Facebook users who are friends of your friends to see if you know these people. It is based on a pretty reasonable premise -- if you know A, B and C, and they in turn all know D, then you should know D as well.

Right?

Wrong.

What is surprising about "People You May Know" is that it lists people who are known by 5, 10 even 15 of your friends, and you have absolutely no idea who these people are.

It's like the Anti Six Degrees of Separation.

The grand gesture

I believe in the grand gesture. When one person unequivocally expresses affection or kindness to another. And the gesture need not be expensive or even grand in the hotel or piano sense. It could be many small acts put together. It could be just one small act. All it needs to be is categorical.

I have been lucky enough to receive the GG a handful of times and each time I am on the receiving end of that type of kindness, I am always floored.

Like the time when R. and my mother organized my surprise debut. Or when my sister taught me high school Algebra in three weeks (complete with self-made exercises). Or when RL. took the 3-hour train from New Haven to Manhattan to come have a cup or coffee with me (then took the train back again). Or when W. took me to the carnival on my birthday when I hardly knew him. Or how for the last 20 years C and her mom have been giving my family fruitcake and other goodies for Christmas.

Ang galing. (A., this translates loosely to "Amazing".)

The artist at work

Andy Wharhol would spin in his grave

Tagalog words I wish had an English translation

gigil

atat

grabe

patulan

panakip-butas

baduy

Pre Over Self

When fighting a cold virus that is about to attack my body, I believe in pre- over- self- medication.

I hardly get any colds, so I'm guessing that my technique works. And yes my dear reader, I am sharing this effective technique with you.

Pre

The key is to stop the cold before it hits. We all know the, "am about to catch a cold" feeling. It starts with you feeling tired, a sneeze or a cough here or there. Once that happens, you need to act quickly. From previous experience, you only have a few hours before the cold virus takes a vice-like grip of your system. And when that happens, it's too late and you'll need to ride the cold out. The whole point of the pre- over- self technique (I really should think of a better name for this) is that it eradicates the cold before it comes.

Over

During that small window of opportunity, it is important to "shock and awe" the miserable cold virus. I believe in attacking it on three fronts (1) a cough or cold medicine to relieve symptoms (2) massive doses of Vitamin C to relieve my paranoia over getting sick and (3) drinking lots of fluids to flood and drown that sucker to death (I know that a virus cannot be drowned, but we all know that keeping hydrated is important when you're about to get sick, so give me a little slack -- literary freedom wise).

Self

This fight is between you and the cold virus. It is no one else's. No running to mommy or your significant other for sympathy. This is mano a mano. You and the cold. Be a man. Down that 1000mg of Vitamin C with two glasses of water. Drink the cough medicine without water (because it soothes the throat more effectively this way). Get into bed and nap. Now.

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize

(Transcript of video call with the parental units)

Mother: Your skin looks dry, you should moisturize. (And begins reciting a litany of creams she has used in the past)
J: Yes, Mom.
Mother: I'm serious, you should start while you're young.
J: Yes, Mom.
Mother: You're patronizing me.
J: Yes, Mom.
Mother: You're not young anymore, you know.

Later that day...

J: My mother just told me I'm getting old and that I should moisturize.
C: [stares at my face] She's right. You should.
J: Thanks for the support.
C: Body Shop seaweed gel. It's the anti-cream cream. It doesn't feel like a cream. It's not oil based so it's not sticky. It's actually more like a gel. Your face feels cool afterwards.
J: You sound like a Body Shop ad.
C: It works. You should try it.

[Note: C looks about 10 years younger than she really is, so I did buy (and now use) the anti-cream cream. Mother will be pleased.]

I heart eggs

I am of the view that one's position on chicken eggs is central to one's being. I know only two individuals on this planet who don't like eggs. And they are married to each other. I think that's cosmic alignment right there. The only two people who don't like eggs share a life together. That's brilliant.

I on the other hand, love eggs unconditionally. I love eggs not despite the fact that they're unhealthy, but because they are. I love everything about them. I love how they're gooey and fattening and high in cholesterol. Eggs are like the dietary equivalent of James Dean. Dangerous. Desirable. Will make you die young.

I think if I had an egg chef on call, I could easily consume 3-4 eggs a day. Easy. That's without trying. I could think of meals where I could eat a dozen or more a day.

Someone pass the Lipitor.

Some place else

When I travel, I am conscious of the texture of a new place, or if I've been there before, the texture of "some place else". I don't know if it's just me who thinks this way, but when I'm some place else, the texture of my reality is slightly altered. Everything is new or unfamiliar, people look different, money and food are different, the weather, even the air is different. That's what I mean by texture. It's like you step into a dream of some sort.

But when you've been to a place often enough or have spent long periods of time in a place, the once altered texture smoothens, and things become ordinary, familiar. You can identify the denomination of a local coin without flipping it over. You adjust to the temperature and air quality, and all of a sudden "some place else" becomes "here".

Confession

When I stay at a hotel, I steal those little bottles of shampoo and hand lotion. I steal the slippers too.

I realize it's not actually stealing. The Firm has paid a ridiculous amount of money for the room, but when I take the plastic bottles from the bathroom and slip them into the shoe bag (also stolen) I feel like a kid swiping an eraser from the school stationery.

(Not that I know how that feels. I just heard that it's at once exhilarating, exciting and you get an incredible release when you know that you've gotten away with it. Well, I just heard that. From a friend. Really.)

And so everyday after a long day at the office, while no one is watching, I take my new shoe bag and fill it in with my newly replenished suite of hair and body products. I stash it in my travel case and hope housekeeping won't catch me.