The Battle of the Bums Chapter 2

When you are a bum and have nothing to do in your time, it is easy to think-think-think. Think of all the Things Lacking In Your Life, Think of how to Amuse Self with Low Funds, and most of all: Think of Ways to Quarrel with Other People by means of Thinking and Dwelling on Other People’s Flaws. So what happens when a bum co-habits wit another bum? They fight mentally which could end up physically. And so goes the story behind my Right Side of Head Migraine last Tuesday. Paver asked me a question to which my heat-induced sarcastic reply was met with an uppercut [Tiger Tiger Uppercut!] to the right eye of yours truly. Not being able to resist, I came up with another retort, and he came up with another punch –but this time screened by Maver who obstructed the Pummeling Senior Bum with her body. Ain’t nothin’ like bumhood to provide you with some real blood pumping action right in your homes!

Thank God for Friends.

I don’t think I have ever properly appreciated my friends. My friends do the wonderful job of looking after me when they know that I don’t do it too well for myself.

There are my AKB Sisters –who, like fairy godmothers- tsk tsk at me disapprovingly and discuss among themselves my most recent foolishness in Yahoo Conference as if I’m not there myself, and scold me in unison and all caps. In high school, they used to pool their bodies together to hide me from the annoying guy who has a crush on me shall he happen by to look for me. If they’ll get off earlier, they’ll oblige our guy friends to take me home and ensure my safety before the guy friends are allowed to go home themselves. One of them –Roxanne– just recently went out of her way to call long distance from another country to very sweetly rebuke me for my current reckless acts of youth and even instructed our other friends to pick me up everyday from work just to ensure that I do not get hurt. Yes, they protect my emotions.

Then there’s my Saturday Club –combined group of friends from my Journalism class in college consisting mainly of Philippine Gay Association, Mano Po, and my own clan the Fox Group. There’s P.I.C. [Partner In Crime] who treats me out to expensive dinner and desserts to reward me every time I make a decision that’s bordering on the intelligent and veering towards the direction of Getting Myself Treated Properly. As she knows that “freebies” are the way to my heart, she also always feed me every time I’m down in the dumps. There’s hyperactive Bogart who –even though I’ve pissed to the point of threatening me not to show my face to her lest I wanna be seriously wounded, and who crowned me as the person responsible for getting her at her angriest level yet­– still tells me she’ll pray for me when she sees I’m in a fix, and bullies me to make the right decisions and tells me that she doesn’t want me ruining my life, and that she cares for me and doesn’t want me to get wayward.

There’s also my Office Pals. Docile, sweet-faced Mon2 who fiercely [well she tries!] intimidates men into taking care of me and taking me home or else; Nykko who uses surprisingly good metaphors to get through my thick skull; and Yaya who brings me kakanin pasalubongs, carries my laptop bag [when in a good mood], and can be ordered to turn on the lights, bend under the table and unplug my cellphone charger, fetch me from home, take me home and do cartwheels for me when I’m bored.

And because they love me and I love them, I will try to be Better to myself. Enough of the Sado-Masochism tendencies. I will also try to lessen my B.S. Tolerance levels.

For the special person I chose not so long ago,

The ff. are the things you do that make me smile:

• never failing to call me those first few times
• missing me and calling a couple of times even when you're out on a despedida gimik with friends
• the way you languidly relish each hug I give you
• the crying sound you make when you miss me or when I pretend to walk away from you
• your blunt way of analyzing things
• your imitations of people in your stories
• letting me win in Tekken

These, my man, are the things that make you a good man. Build on them and cultivate them and remember them when you find that special girl to love. And even though things happen, and things don't go as planned, keep in mind that someday -if not with me but with some other girl- it will be. And that all good things come in God's time.

A Letter to the New Owner

To Whom It May Concern;
My Dell Latitude D630 was just four weeks old when I took him under my care. I gently broke him in [and he me as he taught me how to be mouse-less], lovingly half-filled him with my files, entrusted my favorite mp3s, shared my private chat conversations, took minutes with him, browsed favorite sites with him, and personalized him with previous work and friendship stickers given by friends. For 1 year and 5 months, we got along just fine even though I gave him nicks and scratches, a few viruses, and knocked out his letter “Q”. I must admit, there were even times when I underhandedly tried to trade him in with a lighter, smaller brother but failed as deep inside I know my partiality for him will prevail.
And though parting time for us is near and your meeting him is a bit overdue, I don’t think I will ever be really ready to bid goodbye to him. Please do take care of him and love him. [sob]

Very truly yours,
Old Owner

Passing by my former MTV office, it is blasphemous for me to see no trace of my lovely, lovely MTV office and to find this in place…

When I turn away

It is usually because I feel small

When I feel small

Wrap your arms around me

And make me feel beautiful

I will wait

Till you make me Big again