Crash diet

My friend is in deep trouble. She’s going to be a bridesmaid in less than a month and she’s going to wear a nice tight-fitting dress which according to her, would emphasize the fats around her waist. It wouldn’t help that the color of the gown is bright yellow because light hues make her look bigger. She looks great in black but that color is quite inappropriate for church weddings. Besides, the bride’s family is very superstitious, they’d definitely dislike black.

If you will ask me, I think she’s not fat. I can’t say she’s got a waif-like body but there is no need for her to undergo medical procedures such as liposuction like she is always insisting. She’s always talking about going to Belo, Dr. Alan Dulin, Calayan, etc to have her unwanted fats removed. I think what she needs is a proper diet and a regular exercise. But she said diets are only good when she’s not confronted with a pint of chocolate ice cream. She simply can’t resist ice cream which I totally understand. I mean, who can?

She’s got three weeks to reduce weight. All she can eat is oat meal with milk and banana. I don’t think I’d be able to survive a day without rice so somehow I admire her self-discipline. One time I told my friend that oat meal tastes like paper. She laughed so hard and asked me if I’ve ever tasted paper.

Writing again

So okay, I want to become a freelance writer. I certainly want people to call me ‘the girl who wrote that international best seller book.’ Wow. I imagine my novel would be about a girl who traveled half the world to find true love. Not very original but mine’s going to be interesting and fun to read. How? I don’t know. All I know is I want to be successful in this field. To have money and to be happy. I just don’t know how am I going to achieve that. As of this writing, I need to finish 16 articles about loans and insurance and I honestly don’t know where to start. Loans are a bit easier to write because I’ve written numerous articles about them in the past. But writing about insurance companies is something I’ve never done in my entire life. The topic is a little too brainy for me. What am I supposed to write about LA Insurance? I took up Business Administration in college and insurance was discussed in Financial Management. So, it’s kind of ironic why I couldn’t write a word about insurance. Ahh I think I know why. I was always late for my class. That’s why! I was working in a fast food chain back then and commuting from/to work/job was such a hassle. Not to mention the hideous traffic. I thought the professor would give me a failing grade because of tardiness. I’m just thankful that I was able to graduate with a passing grade of tres, hah! Now, what am I going to write? I have to think. I got two hours left or I’m dead.

Own room

Growing up with so little in material things, I never experienced having my own room. That is why I’m always amazed when someone tells me he/she has her own room. Isn’t that fascinating? To have a place I can call my own? Not that I’m bitter about it. I am quite contented with what my parents were able to provide for me and my siblings. I just think it would be great to experience some privacy sometimes. I want to have a minimalist room without any clutter. Home Fiurniture would be Japanese style – just a few cabinets and maybe a very simple sofa made of wood with a white foam. I’m going to love that I saw elegant furnitures in SM Manila and how I wish I could afford that black leather sofa. The price is about 35,000 pesos, quite expensive but I think it’s a worthy investment. Leathers are known to last for a very long time. And by the way, I’m not the only person who has no room. My friends and classmates didn’t have their own rooms, too. Maybe that is the reason why I never asked my parents to provide one for me. Most of the people I know are simple and normal just like me. So, I never felt I’m left behind.

Prom: A night to remember

Prom is one of the most anticipated events in high school. Everyone is looking forward to that night as if it is the most exciting thing on earth. I remember a few days before our Junior/Senior Night, all my friends were chatting non-stop about what they’re going to wear and who’s going to be their date. I was hesitant to go but my dad, of all people, convinced me to attend During that time, my mom was not around so it was my dad who accompanied me to shop for a dress and a pair of high heels. He even hired someone to fix my hair and to put make-up on my face. Memories of my high school prom include young girls in nice dresses and boys in mens suits, boys and girls dancing to the tune of King and Queen of Hearts, and my dad picking me up before 12AM. I think the reason why everyone’s excited about prom is because it’s our only chance to dress up and look really gorgeous. I miss my dad. My personality is really boring. I was never interested in parties or social gatherings. But what if I didn’t attend our high school prom? What if dad didn’t convince me? Wouldn’t that be sad?

My favorite animal

Writing essays was one of my favorite activities back in grade school and even until college. Our teacher would ask us to write a 100-word essay about our best friend or favorite animal and then we would have to read our work in front of the class one by one. I liked that part because everybody got the chance to speak up and to be heard. I liked it because I was sort of “forced” to participate in class discussions and recitations.

Things were a bit different in college. Our professor would choose a few students to read their essays by lottery. The rest of the students who weren’t called would listen and then afterwards they are free to criticize grammatical errors, incorrect sentence structures, poor writing style, etc. The professor said it’s a great way for us to learn to speak and write English better. However, nobody wanted to be corrected in front of the whole class. So, everyone’s praying not to be chosen. Except me Not that I wanted to be humiliated, I just thought it’s an opportunity to improve myself.

One time, I was called but somebody else was asked to read my paper. I was criticized for using the phrase “the smell of coffee,” they said it should be “the aroma of coffee.” They also hated me for using the words “I love my kid sister.” They said that is American slang so they changed it to “I love my little sister.” On the other hand, the girl who read my essay was criticized for pronouncing the word “behind” as “bi-hayn,” they said the correct pronunciation is “ba-haynd.” Whatever. She was also corrected for reading “Missouri” as “Miswari.”

If you have noticed, this post is really not about my favorite animal. But in case you are interested to know, giraffe is my favorite. Photo by F.R. Munich, Germany.