I'm doing more of these roundups as they seem to be the most economical way to put something up on the blog. No long-winded essays, no long ranting expositions. A list, and that's all I've got time for these days.

1. My brother's in town, and when he's in town, he always brings bad luck. Take, for example, how we were shopping for contraband er, fake DVDs, when, of all things whispers turned into panic as the shops started shuttering their storefronts because of a threat of an Edu Manzano-led raid. Like cockroaches scampering on a suddenly-illuminated kitchen floor, everyone was thrown into a panic: the DVDs were whisked away into large duffel bags as jewelry and bags took their shelf space, hawkers stopped hawking and started hauling ass. While my brother and I worked our way to the nearest exit, I thought I wanted to stay behind and meet Edu Manzano. But that would deserve it's own blog entry, and not a list.

2. That afternoon:

Woman selling DVDs: Hoy, Kuya! Ang tagal mo ng di bumibili sa akin!
Me: [stopped in my tracks, turns around, looks at her face, pauses] Nye, kahit kelan di ako bumili sa yo. Anokaba!
Woman: [smiling] Oo nga, Kuya, binibiro ko lang kayo.

3. At the home office, we've learned to talk to each other while facing our computers. It's not a good habit. But I realized that I can't imagine how I look like with my back turned to someone since that someone's back is turned to me anyway. If we do get an office, we'll need a nice meeting table.

4. Had a shabu-shabu dinner. And, bluntly, it was strange. For one, I felt I was paying too much for raw food; and since I was cooking my own dinner, fork it, why did I have to leave the house in the first place? And, there should have been some kind of user's manual because your insecurities can get overwhelming when it's your first time. It all turned out well, though; apparently no amount of improvisation -- unless you don't even have the requisite knowledge of understanding when food is cooked enough to make it safe to eat -- will keep you from having a satisfying meal. While I was betwixt at the notion that everyone else's pot will taste differently (prompting taste-testing curiosity) my natural inquisitive behavior had, instead, led me to a tragically immature route: try putting in all the ingredients at once and work my way through the mess. I still however enjoyed the meal, but it seems now that I had enjoyed the process even more.

5. I haven't had a doughnut in years. I don't miss peanut butter anymore. But crispy pata, man...