Romantic-Free Valentine's (2.14.09)

I wasn't happy with the results of the first time I wrote this blog, so here I am, rewriting. I have all the time tonight (Sunday, Feb 15) to write this anyway so here I am, doing it.

I never had romantic dates on the 14th of February, just group dates, and group get togethers but never a passe, watch-a-movie-dinner-with flowers type of a date. Guess I didn't have any boyfriend who would take me out at such time since for most, either I just broke up with one before Feb or just earned one (a bf) months later. But I didn't have too many relationships in the past to even think it would even be possible.

Days prior my cousin was inviting us to go to MOA to watch Lova-Palooza but besides the fact that who in the world who is single would like to watch hundreds of couples kissing  whilst I don't have anyone to smooch with, I have set most of the income I've generated for the cutoff to my financial obligations, most of them to my sister's. I just said we won't go, no matter how she insisted and thought how I've had most of her invitations rejected. I don't know it with her but we (my family) don't really have that much excessive money to even consider recreation every week (I haven't even watched Slumdog Millionaire for Pete's sake).

That week before the 14th I was ready to spend the time around the house, probably sleeping or doing chores, or probably finishing the Fifth Mountain of Coelho (I knew I read this before but I can't remember if I've ever finished it) I've been putting off for days now. I mean, for such a short book I should have completed reading every point there is but here I am, just halfway after a week of reading a few pages every night. But this one particular day last week, I found myself reading a banner promoting an Alay Lakad to be held on the morning of the 14th in our barangay and group texted my family that we must go. The last time we ever went out for a cause was Feb 2004, GMA'S Fun Run, and this was just walking. By Friday we were finally registered, and I was excited for a meaningful day.

I haven't thought of taking a bath, but I did changed all the garments I have on and sprayed deo in assumption I'd break a sweat. I also wore sneakers since my feet are somehow weird, it gets tired easily even when in flats. And so the three of us went out at around quarter to 6 (my other sister went out somewhere and she hasn't come home yet.  Later we found out she went out drinking with her friends and thought, why don't I be like that?), first checked out at the barangay hall since it's the nearest to our place, to be told that we should meet with the rest at the clubhouse.

When we came, yes, I wasn't dreaming with the yellow shirt part, everyone did followed. I was just a bit saddened when we didn't have Alay Lakad shirts (when I was in college I always got shirts from everywhere) not that it looked cool anyway, they should have contracted me to be in the committee and I should have done a good job (well, not really. Back when I was in college I just usually delegate and approve whether I liked it or not, haha). At first I was even surprised to see groups of students but then realized, hey. Their teachers might have thought this a good prerequisite.

Not a single soul I know (except for my friend's mom and another mom that was so active back in the school I was in, both I wasn't surprised of seeing them at all), not even that woman with the huge lips (nope. I'm innocent of making fun of how she looks like, promise. This was just the best description I can think of. ^_^)  who was complaining of the lack of a megaphone (why don't they have one anyway?) giving the rest of us (we are not one of them, we approached her when she yelled she wanted us to assemble near her) a very good alibi why they won't bother listen.

One of those who didn't were the group who cut off our line, some guys in white shirts with black jackets and didn't look anything like concerned of the walk. I was so pissed, and being the OC that I am and to practice being assertive I voiced out that they must line in 2's and not in 4's like they do. I even think I scared them off when they became suddenly silent. Ha! Good for them. If I knew better they didn't even care to go anyway.

As we walked out of the subdivision, I realized the path we are in, the same one we did with my family (minus my mom, you could never talk her of going) when we tried different routes on one of our futile jogging attempts. I may have been living in this house for more than a decade now, but I am honestly more familiar with some of the streets of Makati than the ones here in Imus. I can totally get lost I tell you, and the knowledge that cabs are so hard to catch here are not at all encouraging.

Back in the assembly earlier, we were told that there would be water stations, and the first one would provide us with bottled water. I was happy to grab mine (which wasn't cold by the way) thinking we were lucky that we even got the last 3 bottles since we were almost at the last of the file. The ones at the back were people I surmise the rest of the committee (or just probably active home owners who knew almost everyone) and they should, in act of courtesy to make the sacrifice. Not that I care much, since for most of the time I was annoyed at how they talked senselessly like drunkards who had a hard night. There was even this line I kept on hearing, 'My kanin pa ba?' which I believed was a private joke I won't learn what.

I looked everywhere, taking in all the houses I've never seen (or noticed, I told you we had an almost same route back in the day, but that was long ago, and not to mention I tend to relate similarity of houses so bad I get more lost than I could ever be) before while my h.s. friend kept on texting on how a supposed to be 'lesson' he taught to this guy went out badly and insisted I come visit because she needed someone to talk to. I don't have plans, but my mind said I should just go home and watch tv all day. And then she said one magic word, and there I was, blackmailed. Yes. She got me at spaghetti.

As the walk went on, I noticed things that made me irritated, like people throwing their bottles anywhere (plus, minutes later on the next water station, instead of throwing their cups on a trash bin or even just drink the contents and leave the cups on the station itself, most of them chose to bring those cups to be thrown any place they chose) and people who kept on breaking the long line by taking time to walk longer (me, my father and my sister went on filling the gaps by running towards it), filing in groups as if they didn't listen to what was told earlier and chatting their day off by gossiping and laughing as if we were on an outing. I knew there was nothing wrong with that, me and my sister kept on kidding the entire time but come on. Just keep the damned (am I allowed to say that word here?) line!!! (If you are a psychologist and thought that this is some OC thing and I needed to be admitted, call me).

And would I ever forget those two girls who looked like they were going out on a date but later we found they were also participants? (See the album. There is a photo of them there). Seesh. They must have the wrong drive.

There were also politicians I would like to mention but I didn't know their names. They looked so familiar, one of them was the Board Member in the poster and the others I just knew by face. You can't blame me you know. They almost all look alike. Cavite is one of those places where huge families thrive and the genes are so strong you'd know who'se who. (I would like to take this opportunity, that for once, in one of the shops in the Palace In The Sky, there was this shop keeper who mistook me and my sisters to be daughters of the governor (or was it the mayor?). I told them we weren't and when we told this to my father he said we should have said yes so we would have enjoyed a discount. Haha. All those years of staying must have made us looked more Cavite-like huh?)

The purpose of the walk, I realized when I read the banner again, was actually not to raise funds for some people, but to actually encourage walking for better health, thus, it's free. But for this certain experience, not only did we inhaled most of the morning pollution but we've also generated more trash on the streets and creeks (I would have said 'they'd' generated more trash). We also, I believed, irritated commuters going to and fro since we've had the roads blocked twice. There may even be going out on dates who'd be late but they have no right to complain. At least they are going out. (Self pity setting in... haha. It was just a joke, believe me)

After the walk, instead of going to the clubhouse again, we chose to just go straight home, since my father said we won't be entertained anyway. For the board members and the rest of the committee my family doesn't even exist since we didn't go to any meetings and my mom wasn't really the type who'd go out and do gossips or be like those moms who were like the President of the Homeowner's Association on the 'Over the Hedge Movie'.

 I've bought taho as it came to us (our dog was at the gate, answering me with howls whenever I told him he won't get any. The taho guy noticed this and said the dog knew how to answer me. Ahh if he only knew that this dog we had knew how to complain to every thing. Borgy (name christened by my father to our dog, and I gave him a pet (?) name of Nyugi) is so weird he knows when he is scolded at and and answers back, complains when his food, or we were late, and even steps back on your foot when you does it to him. He actually knows the concept of 'pangaasar'.)

My other sister was already at the house complete with (bribery I tell you) burgers on the table when we came. My father went straight to do the rest of the laundry (I rarely do the laundry, but i do the ironing. Laundry is actually at the the top of my most hate chores, preceded by cleaning the house and the bathroom) while I uploaded the photos I took (I just added their descriptions early today (it's already Sunday, Feb 15), checked my mail and helped with the hanging. When I've got nothing to do, I've checked (grudgingly) my Friendster account only to find out two things.

First, one of my closest friends lost her phone some time ago which explains why she hasn't replied to any of my texts. I havent't catched her bulletin when she said it so she just pm-ed me and I left my number in hopes she'd text me as soon as she read it. I've also received an interesting pm from someone I didn't know. Sam said he stumbled upon my profile, pmed me if I would any be more interested in meeting him. He said he'd be going home by April for a conference. I replied that it was ok, and blah blah I forgot what I just said to him and then he replied after a while, which was, to my surprise. He explained everything and minutes later we were chatting. His replies were terribly slow, (I found out he was on the road and he was just using a Blackberry) and as much as we (I guess he is more interested in us knowing each other more before meeting in person) wanted to talk more, my head was all spinning due to the participation I had earlier. I really needed some sleep and chose to just resume the 'talking' sometime.

I logged off, had lunch while watching Clean House and went to sleep after. I was supposed to be at Meanne's at 2pm but my alarm somehow didn't work and I was lucky to have even woke up at 2:30. Val was still at their house so we went there together, drenched in the rain which annoyingly subsided when we reached the shed (we chose to walk to the shed which was a few blocks away). We went there, met my godson who didn't know me and talked away with her mom. She told us the updates of this thing she had going on-- which was may I mention, I was, in a way involved. I've tried to talk her away with it back then and assumed the possibilities that her decisions would cause, and here it was right on her face. I even told her earlier, 'I said so'. I mean, I'm a developer. I always assume possible scenarios. Argh. If she would have just listened.

Anyways, since I can't tell what that was, we just talked about anything, gossips about some classmates who trash their life away, how Barney I said looked like an anaconda and her son's obsession with Madagascar 2 who insists on watching it multiple times a day. I also ate two helpings of spaghetti (it wasn't close to how my mom does it, but it was ok) while contemplating on possible ways out on the dilemma she was in. We then went out at around 6:30 (Val still had to go to church), and my day just ended there. I went home tired and needed some sleep I didn't even bother watching tv. And there it was my Romantic-Free Valentine's. Now, as I'm writing this I'm thinking I wish I'd be able to go out some Valentine's in the future romantically with someone but then I don't really mean it. It's so passe anyway. I think I'd rather dine out with friends. But to when that would ever happen again? Ha. I'm wishing it happen next year.