Wow, I haven't posted anything for five whole days! Five days is quite a long time for a blog whore such as myself. I miss blogging. So I shall get to it.

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BABY-SITTING DADDY I stayed at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) hotel for three days, baby-sitting my dad. They have given him a room there for when he has his masteral classes (His second masteral! I got one hell of a studious man for a dad!) and for when he has tons of work. He was fixing up the budget for the next school year and presenting it and stuff so he was really busy. Since my mom was helping my sister with her UP registration stuff, my dad brought me with him instead. My role: to accompany, amuse, and feed him. With all the stress, he usually forgets to eat or he's too busy or too lazy to buy food. And he does not like room service much, he says it tastes bland. (I beg to disagree. I especially love the mango crepe.) So I'm the one who makes sure he has something to eat and he eats it, at the right time. He also requires cups and cups of coffee when he works and he loves my coffee blend so that is another of my functions. He can not work with complete silence so I am the welcome minor disturbance. I run errands. In short, I serve as his personal yaya.

I don't have any complaints at all. I actually like it. For one, I love my dad and taking care of him is my honor. Secondly, I get to stay at a hotel with all its comforts. Lastly, when he is at the office, he lets me go shopping. Unlimited shopping!!! I have the card. The ACCM hotel is right in front Greenbelt so I'm in shopping zone.

The arrangement is mutualism at its best. I make things easier and less stressful for my dad and he returns the favor by giving me access to all his money. What a perfect deal! :)

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SHOPPING GALORE I was all over Greenbelt, Landmark, and Glorietta for three straight days. I never thought I'd say this but I actually grew tired of shopping. During the third day at least.

I went inside all the bookstores I saw. I bought two hard-bound books for only Php 150 each. That is really cheap since hard-bounds are usually priced from five hundred to a thousand or two. I got Lost World 'coz I watched and enjoyed the movie. I want to know which one is between the book and the movie is better. The other one is a Japanese novel called Shinju. The title means suicide of star-crossed lovers. They bind themselves together to ensure that they are one in the after-life. Interesting ritual! Sounds very dramatic. So that's why I bought it.

I bought clothes. I know that more clothes posed a problem since my closet is already bursting but I figured that not buying more clothes is not the solution to a bursting closet. Getting a bigger closet is.

I looked around kikay stores, gift stores, etc. I bought three horrendously big earrings and two bandanna-like headbands. I bought silly stuff like a cute notebook and gel pens. I bought this, and I bought that, and I bought whatever.

I had a great time especially on day two when I shopped with my friend Jing. Fun, fun, fun! Jing claims that it was a a revealing shopping experience. Hehe...

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THE CITY AT NIGHT At 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, I found out that my monthly visitor arrived. Unexpectedly. Totally ahead of schedule. I didn't have any pads of course and I wasn't really comfortable with the idea of ordering it through room service. What was I supposed to say: Um, excuse me. Do you have napkins? Can you deliver them to room ***? I don't think so. Not happening. So I went out. Rustan's was already closed. Greenbelt was closed. Landmark was closed. Most of Glorietta was closed. They were all closed save for bars and a few restaurants. Thank goodness I found a 24-hour drugstore at Park Square. Imagine, from AIM, I walked all the way there just for pads.

But I have to say, I love Makati at night. The only thing I don't like about it is that it is yuppies galore. Argh! It's just like Katipunan, still alive at night. There's something very alluring about it. The night and the city call out to me. I find all the lights, the humid air, the danger, the serenity, and the darkness intoxicating.

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THINGS TO DO WHEN IN A HOTEL Even if it's childish, I did the things I wanted to do when alone in a hotel. I jumped at the bed. I played loud music. I danced all around, singing, and laughing, and running. Hehe...

When Jing was with me, I remembered one thing I haven't done. I have always wanted to go out the window of a tall building. Just see the view from way up, on the edge of the railing. And we were on the eight floor! The opportunity was right there. So with Jing taking my picture, I went outside the window feeling like I was Amy Lee. I did my imitation of the Bring me to Life music video. I know you're all probably thinking that I'm nuts. Well, I probably am. But what can I say? I felt a pleasant rush, one of fear and excitement mixed with each other.

When I got down, Jing did it too. But she wasn't able to complete it 'coz a man, a security guard I think, from the building across ours stared out at us. And he was waving and all. He probably thought we were going to commit suicide or something. A man thought that we were going to commit suicide!?! Haha. It was crazy. Jing came down. Afterall, we didn't really want to start a commotion so we closed the drapes and hid, laughing all over each other, literally. You might want to try it sometime, it's a hell of an experience. Hehe...

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SURVIVOR ALL STARS I watched the Survivor All Stars finals and I must say, what a show! Boston Rob and Amber were the final two and the Tribal Council really let them have it. Lex was so angry and emotional! Big Tom was all I'm not falling for that again with Rob. Well, they do have point. Betraying friends and playing dirty just to win really is not the way to go. So I guess the scheming two deserved to be lashed out by the others.

Back in the U.S. at the reading of the votes: surprise, surprise. Boston Rob proposed to Amber. So I guess they really won. They won the game, the money, and each other's love (IF their love is genuine considering how conniving they both are, but I think the love is real). I have to give it to them. They deserve each other, and I mean that both ways, in the positive and in the negative sense.

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iATENEO It is an online publication of our school. I heard they are recruiting writers and so I gave it a shot. Donna, the editor-in-chief, said my work was ok and she is asking me if I want to write News, Features, or Opinion. Yey! I'm in. I am joining yet another publication and I am sure I'll love the experience. But I haven't decided which staff I'll join just yet. What do you guys think?

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NO MORE ATE LaC Two of my dorm mates, siblings Ate LaC and Matet, are moving out from our dorm. They'll rent an apartment a few houses away because their mom wants them to have their own place. I know that they would just be near but I still feel bad about it. Ate LaC told me we could go there anytime so it's like I'd have two places to stay in. She also said that she would visit often, and we could have sleepovers, and we'd still go out, etcetera etcetera. I know that I should feel reassured with all that but I'm just not. It's selfish but I really want them to stay. Why? There would be no more Ate LaC to go to at ungodly hours of the night when I can't sleep. There would be no more Ate LaC in the bathroom talking to me as she takes a crap while I am putting together my outfit for the day in front of the mirror. There would be no more Ate LaC to wait up for so that we could eat dinner together. She's the older sister I never had. I know that we are so different from each other but we just have a perfect relationship. We understand and accept each other the way no one else around us can. I'll miss her for sure.

And I'm close with Matet too. Who will I exchange opinions about chick lit and cute guys with? My dorm life will no longer be the same. I have always thought we'd all stay together until we graduate since both Ate LaC and my former roommate Sweet are both in ECE and they have fifth year. We would all still be graduating together but Ate LaC is now no longer with us. Awww... it really makes me sad.

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LEAH LOKA-LOKA One of my new dorm mates would be Lea. She had been my classmate in Public Management and my seatmate in Comparative Politics so I already know her and we click. She's crazy and she's so much fun. So I guess it wouldn't be that bad. Things around the dorm would be different and maybe different would be good. But I still can't help wanting to have Ate LaC and Matet in the dorm just the same too.

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ORANGE THOUGHTS I am such a loser. I find myself always thinking about Orange and missing him. I wonder where he is now. Oh, he's probably having the time of his life while I'm miserable without him. My theories are that he either already has a job, a really good-paying challenging job at some famous company since he's so smart or he is traveling the world as a last vacation before work since he's filthy rich anyway. Whatever it is, I bet that he's happy, and successful, and all that. On one hand, I'm really happy for him. On the other, I wish that he flunked or something (though that's kind of impossible) so that I would still get to see him around school. Having a crush that belongs to a higher batch really sucks! I'll miss him for an entire year, and maybe even more. I won't see him in my graduation. I wouldn't even get the chance to tell him how I feel and give him my Blue Rose. Aaarrgghhh! This is driving me crazy!

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BACK TO REALITY In two weeks, my life as a professional bum would come to an end. I am going back to Quezon City for the registration, the Mulieris formation seminar, TNT training, ORSEM, and the start of classes. My sweet days of rest and relaxation are numbered so I am really making the most out of each and every moment I have left.