Good Girl Gone Bad

I take pride in having the ability to love unconditionally, the capacity to forgive easily, and the virtue of enduring patience. Before I react to an irritating situation, I would try to envision myself in the other person’s shoes and understand why he (or she) thinks the way he does. Modesty aside, some people actually tell me I’m a sweetheart ;-).

Having said that... there are people however, who can push my buttons (especially on a bad day), test my patience and trigger my b*tchy side.

Case in point…

One day in college, driven by my perpetual curious nature, I decided to try and watch a movie by myself. I bought the movie ticket, grabbed a coke and popcorn, and settled in at a seat close to the exit. A few minutes later, a guy sat on the seat next to me. In the middle of the movie, his hand accidentally brushed against my leg and said “sorry”. Since I thought it was an accident, I made no big deal about it. It happened again a second time, and again, he apologized. I started to feel annoyed. I gave him an evil look and tried to sit as far from him as possible. Two more times however, and I totally lost my cool! If in the beginning I thought I was just being paranoid, after that, there was no doubt in mind that I was being harassed! However, instead of getting mad, I decided to get even. Since the movie was almost at its end, I took a sip of my coke, set it in between our seats, and as the credits started rolling, “accidentally” knocked the drink onto his lap! I said “sorry”, then strutted out of the theater feeling vindicated! (I never watched a movie by myself again after that though).

Another scenario…

After a long and hard day at graduate school, I went to the grocery store to pick up some items for my fridge. I drove my car to the parking lot and saw an empty spot I could park at. I signaled my intent, but there were a couple of pedestrians blocking my way. I waited patiently for them to cross, but as I was about to park, a car in the opposite side dived in and tried to grab my spot. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have let it go, but after just dealing with frustrations in my research and abdominal cramps, I was ready to blow off. Still, I tried to be calm and said nicely, “Excuse me, I was about to park there.”

The woman looked at me haughtily and replied, “Well, you’re taking such a long time! I'm in a hurry!”

That was the last straw! If she acted nicely about it, I probably would have been more patient. But given the arrogant way she responded, I flipped out and yelled angrily, “Didn’t you see the people in front of me?”

The woman chose to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear, and continued to inch into the spot. At some point however, she realized she couldn’t park completely as I was partially blocking the way! When she had no choice but to look in my direction, I said, “Either you find another parking spot or we’ll be here all night! ”. I was bluffing of course (and it was probably a childish reaction), but at that time, I felt that I have to stand my ground. It’s a matter of principle! Aside from that, I was so tired and grumpy, there’s probably no way anybody can talk sense into me! The woman grudgingly gave up and left me to my precious spot ;-)

Moral of the story: There's a b*tchy side to every woman... even if she's a sweetheart.

If I Were...

If I were a month, I would be:...June

If I were a day of the week, I would be:...Saturday

If I were a time of day, I would be:…4:30 PM

If I were a sea animal, I would be:...dolphin

If I were a direction, I would be:...right

If I were a sin, I would be:...gluttony

If I were a planet, I would be:…Earth

If I were a liquid, I would be:…water

If I were a stone, I would be:...a pearl

If I were a tree, I would be:…a Narra

If I were a bird, I would be:...an eagle

If I were a flower/plant, I would be:.. a rose

If I were a kind of weather, I would be:...sunny

If I were a mythical creature, I would be:...a unicorn

If I were a food, I would be… an ice cream

If I were a fruit, I would be ... a watermelon

If I were a musical instrument, I would be:...a piano

If I were an animal, I would be:...a dolphin

If I were a color, I would be:...red

If I were an emotion, I would be:.. moody

If I were a vegetable, I would be:... cauliflower

If I were a sound, I would be:…ocean waves

If I were an element, I would be:...zinc

If I were a song, I would be:… Can I Have This Kiss Forever?

If I were a singer, I would be… Leona Lewis

If I were a movie, I would be:...Braveheart

If I were an author, I would be:… John Grisham

If I were a place, I would be:...Chicago

If I were a taste, I would be:... sweet

If I were a scent, I would be:... Victoria’s secret Pink

If I were a word, I would be:… enchanting

If I were a body part, I would be:...eyes

If I were a facial expression, I would be:...a smile

If I were a subject in school, I would be:... science

If I were a cartoon character, I would be:... Little Mermaid

If I were a shape, I would be:...a star

If I were a number, I would be:... 1

If I were a piece of jewelry, I would be:...a necklace

If I were a piece of furniture, I would be:...a bed

If I were a car, I would be:...a Lamborghini

If I were an item of clothing, I would be:...a tank top

If I were to choose somebody to be, I would be…still ME.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Three years ago, inspired by Sophie Kinsella’s book ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’, I decided to delve into my own shopaholic tendencies and write an article about it. Take note however, that the boyfriend I was talking about here is now an EX, and my shopping addiction has nothing to do with the break-up (“,).

Last weekend, I was feeling kinda down and worried. The more I dwell on it, the more I felt depressed. So I thought, what the heck, enough of this! I gotta stop worrying and be happy. Life is too short to spend it worrying. So… what could take my mind off my worries and make me happy? Well, watching a movie with my honey… but he’s in a conference! Okay, hanging out with my friends… but it’s Saturday morning, they’re staying in bed until 12 noon!… It’s gotta be something I could do by myself. Work on my research? Nah!… Sure, it would take my mind off my worries, but it would also make me feel exhausted. Plus, it’s no fun at all! Which means…there’s only one thing left! The one thing that effectively relieves me of any form of stress. The one thing I love more than eating watermelon, watching ‘Braveheart’ or pouring my sentiments on a journal. Second on my list of things I love doing. Second to cuddling with the object of my affection… shopping!

Yes, shopping! The thrill of seeing a 70% discount on a blouse I’ve been dying to buy! The surge of excitement upon getting a glimpse of the laptop (on sale!) I’ve been longing for, since… forever!

Shopping is most women’s sickness. It’s sort of an addiction that we can’t seem to shake off. It’s almost like a therapy. (I swear there’s a scientific study that will back me up on this). And I’m definitely not immune. In fact, if shopping is a cancer, I probably have the terminal case. One of my baffled guy friend actually asked me one time why we, women, love to shop. What do we get out of it? I always say… well, aside from the fun, shopping is an art (the art of being patient and finding great bargains), and a good exercise (walking around stores for several hours is!).

I have yet to meet a guy who loves shopping. Guys are absolutely terrible shopping companions. My brother’s the worst. The first and last time I was able to drag the little rascal to the mall, he became so impatient after only a few minutes he left me on my own! I think the only one who’s patient and happy enough to go with me was my boyfriend… and that was only at the start of our dating days. He’d walk around the mall and suggest which dress would look great on me. A month later, gone were the suggestions, but he’d still walk around and wait patiently saying he’s happy just being with me. But a few more months later, he’d just drop me off the mall and say… ‘Okay, honey, I’ll call you when my football game’s finished and I can pick you up.’ In a way, I was happy to see him off. At least, I won’t have to worry about him getting bored anymore.

I wasn’t actually born a shopaholic. The truth is, I used to wonder how some women, like Alicia Silverstone in the movie Clueless, could be so shallow as to feel excited at the sight of a beautiful dress on display at Cache. It’s incomprehensible! But yes, I’m taking it back now! I don’t think it’s shallow anymore…well, for obvious reasons… it’d be like admitting I‘m shallow! Looking back, I think the first time I realized shopping is fun was when I moved to the city and lived in a dorm near the mall. Aahhh… temptation, who can resist it? I’m only human… okay, I‘ll revise that… I’m only a woman! Besides, I finally had a consistent stipend from my scholarship… which means I got my own money to spend! But at that time, my ‘shopping cancer’ wasn’t malignant yet. Obviously, it was because my money wasn’t enough! But when I finally graduated, got a job and started earning more, the cancer spread to my whole body. I don’t feel satisfied leaving the mall without buying anything. I always have to buy something… even if it’s only a small pen!

Anyway, going back to my story… so, off to the mall, I went. Two hours and $40 poorer later, I was back home, exhausted but happy. I got new skirts and a pair of shoes to satisfy my vanity, and decorations to hang in my apartment wall and ease my growing boredom with its present state. I might start worrying again after a few days (probably more so, since in addition to my original problem, I now have financial ones to worry about!)… but what the heck! I relieved myself of the stress I was feeling before and that’s what’s important, right?… Financial problems??? Who doesn't have those? But as my bestfriend always say, God will provide! (as you can probably tell, she’s also a shopaholic!).

And besides, if I start to feel stressed out and get worried again, I could always go shopping! ;-)