That’s it. I’m coming clean.
A few weeks ago, I made a decision to momentarily lift my self-enforced ban and buy a book. I was scouring the volumes at Fully Booked when I came across Elie Wiesel’s Night (the ban being that I am neck deep in my reading backlog. The trip to the bookstore while said ban is ongoing is my way of chastising myself for everything I’ve ever done wrong in my life). It is a tiny volume containing a powerful firsthand account of a Nazi concentration camp survivor. I’ve read the book twice (or at least the Xeroxed copy of it) as part of a Political Science requirement in college but felt like I had to own a copy that did’nt involve staple wires.
Ever had one of those “Aha!” moments in the mall when you find something rare? You know for a fact that the phenomenon will never repeat itself in this lifetime thus forcing you to suspend any and all laws you might’ve manufactured against unnecessary purchases. Well, ladies and gentlemen of the dury, that is my only way of justifying this transgression I’ve committed. Do you know how frustrating it is to pass off a chance to buy something only to find it gone by the time you’ve decided to get it? To add insult to injury, every other questionable item that you will only acquire at gunpoint is still sitting on the shelf mocking you.
I’ve had enough of delayed gratification! It is not a sign of maturity! It’s a sign of foolishness especially if the item you’re getting for yourself is only Php250.00 and may very well be gone by the time you get back! So there…I bought a book. Sue me!
And if it’s any consolation, I subsequently realized that my “Aha!” moment was all for naught. Yesterday I went to National Bookstore. Guess what was stacked in piles and piles under a huge red sign that said “Bestsellers”.
Elie Wiesel’s Night.
The cosmic jokes are getting really old.
I think I might’ve surpassed the current world record for the most number of mishaps in a 48 hour span.
It starts with the fact that I’m completely destitute. Everytime I come within a 2 mile radius, the ATMs start making strange gurgling noises. Then I find out too late that a trip to the mall in this state is a flagellation all on its own. To keep from getting buried in more debt, I had to repeatedly remind myself (and Chrissie with whom I suffered the flagellation) that our lives will not come to an abrupt end if we decided against buying this corduroy pillow case or that bathroom rug. Notice how capitalism’s iron hand becomes increasingly flagrant when you’re a financial cripple. Believe me, it’s there. It just becomes less egregious when you have money to burn.
Of course, dear ol’ Murphy wasn’t content with that. Sunday morning we woke up to find all the sockets in the living room short-circuited. The internet went down for the Nth time. And for the Nth time I had to call and listen to my ISP’s insipid muzak. The elevator went berzerk and thought it would be hilarious to make a stop at every floor in the building. The washing machine decided to stage a coup. My MP3 player refuses to turn on even after a fresh battery change. On top of everything else, I have a stack of laundry, a clogged drain, a busted kitchen sink, required overtime at the office, 15 flights of stairs from my floor to where I won’t be late for work, traffic, cab drivers (don’t get me started on them), and a fabulous all-expense paid trip to the seventh circle of hell.
I have it down to an art, really. When it rains, it not only pours but summons the horsemen of the apocalypse to lead the great household appliance mutiny of 2008.
I’m sure the pundits will agree that this onslaught of misfortune builds character….I wonder if it’s the kind that makes you consider buying a two-barrel shotgun on your next payday.
A fine example of Pinoy ingenuity if there ever was one. If at this point you’re still squinting at the object in the picture, that ladies and gentlemen is a homemade pizza carton sound mixer. A slice of genius from my friend Bob. I was chatting with him the other day and he wanted me to see his latest acquisition from Pizza Hut Technolgies Inc. Mind you, the tracks that resulted from this Mcgyvering are impeccably clear, no difference whatsoever from those recorded at a professional studio.
This reminded me of something mentioned in passing by a friend who happens to be a nursing student. She said that the one thing that sets Filipino health care workers apart from their counterparts abroad is that they can work with practically no available equipment. If they didn’t have oxygen masks, they’d cut up a mineral water bottle and attach the tube to the neck.
Leave it to us to make something useful out of what the First World classifies as junk.
I am now convinced that in the event of a technological cataclysm, we’d be one of the last ones standing. Wouldn’t be such a big change when daily life already is reminiscent of a Survivor episode.
So I’d say leave Murphy’s law to wreak havoc! It builds creativity.
Good call staying put for the day. It took an argument and a half for me not to storm to Ultra to watch the game. To give a brief background, there is an ongoing curse hovering over my head. This “balat sa puwet” thing started back in college for some inexplicable reason. I tried everything short of offering eggs at the Monestaryo de Santa Clara to shake it off. Still, years later, I have never seen an Ateneo victory live.
Somehow my presence, out of thousands, manages to tip the scales to our disadvantage. Considering that our chances are looking up this year, I’m drilling a hole in my sofa and gluing my rear end to it. Wouldn’t want that cancer-causing ray of negative energy to escape from my building and waft over to whatever sports venue the game happens to be in.
In the meantime, good job Rabah! Finally getting out there and playing ball! To clarify, I don’t have a thing for this guy. We’ve been on the look out for good centers for a long time now. Will he be it, I wonder? Needs to improve on the accuracy of that hook shot though. And I wish he would beat the habit of looking to Nonoy Baclao to come in and do the job for him.
3-0 and on top of the heap. I’m high-fiving while I can.
In an effort to implement a reasonable adjustment, the LTFRB is rolling out an increased fare matrix. This we had coming for a long time. To quote from an article in the Inquirer the other day:
In a text message, LTFRB Chairman Thompson Lantion said the new fare of P10 kilometers and P1.95 for each succeeding kilometer for regular buses, and P12 for the first five kilometers and P2.35 for the succeeding kilometers for air-conditioned buses, can be charged on receiving the new fare matrix.
Jeepneys nationwide can charge the new fare of P8.50 for the first four kilometers and P1.50 for each succeeding kilometer on Monday, July 14.
Taxis can begin charging a P10 “add on rate” 15 days after receiving their stickers, Lantion said.
Buzz kill on the last paragraph. What do they mean by a P10 “add on rate”? Is this on top of the arbitrary ”add on rates” cab drivers have been exacting from passengers for the past…oh, I don’t know…two decades maybe?
When government agencies begin allowing cryptic rates, I start shifting nervously. Especially when I happen to be in the backseat of a cab.
Also, since when did text messaging turn into a viable alternative to good old fashioned one-on-one interviews?
