The girl from...

UP.

That's what they call me.

There are other variations like "Ate UP", "Miss UP", "Yoopee-yoopee" but mostly it's just UP girl or simply UP. My name tent says Anna in bold font size 85 or something but they call me just the same, everyday.

It feels somewhat like being a superhero... it's either a gift or a curse. Sometimes it even feels like high school, when being smart makes you less cool and socially incapable. So what, I got 11 out of 15 in that stupid logic test. If I had been taking the same test with my college buddies, my score would have been on the mediocre standard. This is how you turn out after years of blood-draining analysis and forced quick thinking. It's not some sort of extra-terrestrial power. It's not worth replacing a human being's name with an acronym.

People have names for a purpose. My name tent (tag) is HUGE for a purpose.




If it's your first time to encounter a nerd, deal with it.


-edit-

Again. Stop making an issue of the fact that I write during break times. You do your  thing, retouch your make-up, make chika and all that... I write. It's the same. It's not an alien ritual, so stop peering on my notes and talking behind my back.

Underemployed.

Tulad nga ng sabi ni Faye: underemployed.

Hahaha.

Hiro... tasukete?

What happens when a single, indivisible organism such as yourself attempts to do every kind of shit they tell you?

Get a job, any job. Learn to drive. Live abroad. Meet a guy. Take the tests. Get that professional license. Learn to cook. Lose the extra ten pounds. Be a freakin' biochemist or whatever it is you call yourself. Have a social life. Wear decent clothes. Act like a girl. Try to smile.

What happens? You just, well... explode.

Remember Peter Petrelli from Heroes? He was the empath -the one who could absorb and mimic their abilities. Remember what they said would happen if he carried too much powers?

So tell me, Hiro, how do you stop an exploding man?

Rare Occurrences

Shopping has always been more a luxury than a necessity in the world I grew up in. Unless we're running out of stuff to fill our bellies with or use in the shower, I don't get to shop for new things. I lived on presents, hand-me-downs and company freebies. Going around while actually spending cash as opposed to staring aimlessly at shelves is a rarity. Case in point: The mom, surprisingly, took us kids out for a little shopping as her post-birthday treat.

However, I don't think I'm shopping again anytime soon. First reason- cheap, regular clothes don't fit me. I wanted to buy what I called a "Lee Da Hae" blouse but apparently, Large still doesn't fit me... when in the US I fit in petites and small moderates! In the end, I got a smallest shirt in the plus-size section. Frustrating, no? Then there's a second reason- the salesman at the men's wear section would probably remember me as the girl who was picking out boxer shorts for herself. I helped my brother choose a pair of boxers and then just as the sales guy greeted us, my bro blurted out, "May smaller size, fit sa'yo! Turo mo, ikukuha kita and then ako na sa cashier para di nakakahiya."  When it couldn't get any worse, my mom held up a few of the items and asked how I'd like it (Mommy?!). Okay, I don't mind friends knowing I like wearing men's boxers at home, but I don't like having salespersons stifle giggles about it while I'm doing some serious shopping. So I told my mother I'll stick to grocery shopping for the mean time.

Another rare thing happened Sunday midnight until early Monday morning. Gerard, our beloved brother/Oble scholar/summa cum laude/future M.D. was online and available to talk, for once! Hehe. He's in Cebu right now after their cardio module and for a birthday with his family. It was his birthday last week and I totally forgot (what's more embarassing, I greeted Hernie and had a hunch that there was another August birthday but forgot it was Gerard's)!

Anyway... UP fam: sabi nya sobrang miss na daw na tayo and laging wrong timing yung mga dinners natin sa schedule nya. He hopes to be able to see us sometime when he's not busy (yikes, in med school, who knows when that will be diba?).

Who knows what other rare events are in store for me in the next few weeks? Like me going out, perhaps? :P

So What.

I'm doing what every blogger in the planet has done this week. I writing an Olympic post.

People often talked about how China was more concerned about saving face than actually being part of the history of the Games. Why wouldn't they? Foreigners suddenly invade a country that's isolated itself for the most part of the last millenium (they even put up a wall, for goddness' sake). Athletes worried about the thick smog and the quality of living as they arrive in conspicucous medical masks.  But then to cope up, China built a new airport terminal, reduced fifty percent of their land traffic, shut down factories in the city, conquered an architectural feat by erecting the Bird's Nest and had their cab drivers learn English. However, the international press still felt constricted with the controversial firewall that would never be entirely lifted.They attempted to make the world's greatest fireworks display in a densely populated, smog-covered city for the international audience; and the world still makes a fuss about the computer generated bit of it. A cute kid sings their national hymn with a big smile and the everyone keeps busy making an issue of the lip-synching.

So what if they're saving face? At least they're winning medals. We send what, fifteen Olympians, and some of them are not even true-blooded Pinoys? Sure, Phelps will always set records and the Dream Team will always hoard points; but we spent our taxes for our athletes to play in this momentous sports event (and for Manny to wave our flag in a backdrop of blue barongs). We don't swim, fight or punch but we care, dammit.

Funny thought: I just realized that I actually weighed heavier than our gold medal pambato in boxing. Payat niya no? Lol.

But then let's go over the impressive ones... the ones who'll get 10, 000 hits on Google just from busy bloggers. If the Games are really named after Mt. Olympus like I assume it is, then I say Michael Phelps is an Olympic god. And weightlifting's Liu Chunhong is some sort of demigoddess- oh, how she made setting records look so easy. You know, Yao Ming used to give me the creeps. Asian guy standing over seven feet with a strong square-ish face... why won't I find him creepy? Even my tall cousins used to scare me. But Yao Ming, recently, surprisingly impressed me. So what if he's got injured knees, broken feet and an infected toe? So what if he's all tired and burned out? So what if he missed seven of his ten shots? He played majestically; like nothing else mattered more than that orange ball and the pride of his country. So take a breather, big guy... while we patiently hope for a gold and China continues to chase the US for that number 1 spot.

Another thing. Because of the Beijing 2008 games, my dream destination- The Forbidden City- has been much more devirginized.

Because you can read this, you are in that lucky third set.

There are two sets of people in the world. Those who don't know you well but understand you; and those who know you very well but don't necessarily understand you.

There are those who I can talk to for minutes about the scientific inaccuracies of the latest CSI or House episode without laughing over the nerdiness of the topic; and they don't need me to explain why I'm still single and why I hate weddings or any social gathering with over thirty people. On the other side of the spectrum, there are those who simply know random little things like me wearing men's boxers at home and may even may know one of my dark secrets.  

But just recently, I learned that there is a third set of people: one that's roughly in between the first two. And they're the ones who can read this post.

***

I've turned away four job prospects. For several different reasons. It's either I'm simply arrogant or incredibly stupid; but it's all about waiting for the right one. Just like waiting for Mr. or Ms. Right. So I'll stay patient, wait, read a few books and manga, watch some anime; and for the sake of my parents, learn the basics of "household management". Maybe I'll go back to randomly speaking in Japanese, continue writing that screenplay and make some serious progress with EiC. Until such time when the lawyers start chasing me again about my overdue internet bills and my mom complains about Meralco, I will be engrossed in domestic training and entrepreneurial apprenticeship - things that this bum will do when she's not one.

But god, I miss Swedish pancakes.

Well, I can't be a bum and have pancakes at the same time. It would defy universal justice.