after what seemed like an interminable week, i was finally able to rearrange my schedule and had a whole day to myself (a Tuesday!  and more importantly, it’s payday).

as my usual wont when i have an upcoming free day, i had a marathon DVD session that lasted until 4:40 am. right on cue, i woke up around noon and wondered what to do for the rest of the day. after completing my errands (picking up my laundry, calling for water delivery, paying a few bills, etc.), i headed towards makati for a much-needed R&R.

i had several pending items in my To-Do list, but today i wanted a clean slate so i could visit my usual haven when i really need a break — the mall. yes, just like any dyed-in-the-wool mall rat, i sought the bright lights, the temperature-controlled, sterile and chrome-plated rows of shops where shiny and new things abound (i’m channeling rebecca bloomwood here), and where items on sale are burnished, propped, highlighted and packaged to tease the senses — all for a price, of course.

before i knew it, my wallet was already a couple of thousands of bucks lighter *ouch* still, for some reason i feel like the world has gone back into its proper orbit. i am myself again, strangely refreshed.

tomorrow, the rat race begins anew.

it was a rainy night… it rained unexpectedly yesterday, and the heavy downpour lasted until 10:00pm so i was in a hurry to go home. i was unusually sleepy because i’d been besieged by equations all day long. as i hurried to our building, i noticed that the stairway lights were on, and the gate was flung open.

closing my umbrella hastily, i ducked inside and had my hand on the iron gate (i was planning to close it and lock up after i’d gone in) when i was jolted — literally — by a scene straight out of a badly written slapstick B movie. there, on the concrete steps of our common stairwell were two guys in their late 20s facing each other and obviously preoccupied doing their ‘thing‘… i am assuming here that you’re getting my drift because i really don’t want to turn this page into some titillating x-rated pulp by going into details.

i don’t know who was more shocked or mortified when they realized they were no longer alone. i looked away hastily from the scene and muttered “uhh… sorry. excuse me,” then hurried to my unit (3rd floor) with as much nonchalance as i could muster.

i didn’t even look back to confirm who it was, but i knew it was my new second floor neighbor (who we always suspected to be gay) because he closed his unit not long afterwards — and he pretty much did a bang-up job of it, too (as in, really LOUD). i don’t see why he should act so pissed off when… although, come to think of it, he was probably sore because of the untimely interruption. ewww!

practice PC. in this age of political correctness, you try hard to tone down your bias and prejudices and try to be as broadminded as best as you can, but really… i mean, i realize it’s a question of lifestyle choices here, but shouldn’t there be a line drawn somewhere? like keeping your ‘private’ business in the privacy of your own home? or at least trying to minimize the possibility of being ‘interrupted’ and/or embarrassed (by other people who might not want to be a witness) while you’re doing IT?

i know it’s your prerogative to pursue your own brand of happiness the best way you can, but do you really have to do it in a ‘conspicuous’ setting? it was almost like you were asking to be discovered! if it were up to me, i really didn’t want to stumble into that kind of scene, and i wish i could say it didn’t affect the way i see this person, but the truth is, it did. now i can’t help wishing he had been more discreet (of his activities) or considerate of other residents in the building at least.

aftermath. no, i didn’t freak out. not even a teeny-weeny squeak. in fact, i was quite amazed at my own detachment (okay, i was amused too) during the event. it was only today, while i was recounting that event to my transfixed office mates, that i actually gave way to my reaction. it was cathartic in a way because i felt like i couldn’t keep that thing bottled in, and talking about it was a way for me to deal with it.

the only thing that bugs me now is that each time i go home late at night, i can’t help feeling apprehensive about what i might see/hear the moment i open the gate. if possible, i don’t even want to look my neighbor in the eye now (reverse guilt?).

*sigh* i don’t know why these things keep happening to me. i really need to find a new place. SOON.

that old familiar feeling. whew! a week has passed and i’m still unable to shake this apathy. i’d been meaning to update my page sooner but i’d been more or less sidelined by a persistent slight fever accompanied by this pesky cough — not much to worry about, of course; it’s just that the medication i’d been taking has been making me more drowsy and lethargic than usual. it’s been something of a struggle for me to concentrate on my work this past week. good thing it’s the weekend.

i call this my yearly change-of-season turnover fever. i usually get hit by this affliction at least twice a year — when summer hits its stride and as soon as the rainy/colder season begins. i will be so relieved as soon as this cough gets better.

busy. again we’re fairly busy these days. i am sooo looking forward to our summer outing (probably after the Holy Week), because it will give us the perfect reason to knock off and have some fun for a day or two.

until then, the grind goes on.

i was totally floored and had steam coming out of my ears when i caught sight of this headline about the possibility of christian bale being replaced by sam worthington as Batman in the upcoming 3rd Batman movie.

seriously? i really hope this is a joke or something because frankly, i don’t see any point in it.

as in, what the hell for!? notwithstanding his recent set blow-up (which seemed to have elicited a hysterically overblown reaction from many pious, and er easily offended observers), christian bale — along with the nolan brothers — was practically the reason why this franchise was brought back to rosy health and why many hardcore Batman fans were coaxed back into the fold. for me, he was mainly the reason why i watched Batman Begins three times (and four times more in DVD), and waited anxiously for The Dark Knight to show up.

back when many naysayers stayed safely along the sidelines while waiting for bale, nolan & co. to fall gloriously on their collective derriere, these guys were able to put together a great movie (Batman Begins) that exceeded expectations — including the capricious approval of fanboys, geeks and critics — and earned enough $$ to prompt the studio to add two more sequels. and then came the staggering success of Dark Knight, which recently broke into the select $1 Billion Club by amassing $1 billion in box office receipts worldwide and gave heath ledger his chance to nab that Oscar (posthumously, for best supporting actor).

and then, of course, Terminator Salvation followed. when that news broke, you could practically hear fanboys all over the Net howling with glee, because they knew that with christian bale in tow, the Terminator franchise was back in the game. big time.

this was followed by that rant scene. then, a week ago, the latest round of Terminator Salvation trailers hit the web, which of course started the ball rolling again. it seemed like despite that crazy episode, nothing could faze christian bale. (me, i couldn’t have cared less. as far as i’m concerned, my ticket for that movie has already been punched as soon as c. bale was brought on board.)

and now this? you gotta be kidding me. i know it’s too early to speculate about this, but i think that any move to replace christian bale (warts and all) as the Caped Crusader at this stage is a baaaad idea. why, it’s practically insane. why replace an established heavyweight (esp. a guy of bale’s caliber) when he’s easily one of the most compelling reasons why many people chose to watch this movie?

i know sam worthington is a fine actor (he’s also in Terminator Salvation) and he’d probably make a fine Batman/bruce wayne, but for me christian bale is Batman. nobody comes close. period.

and if they’re hiring another actor to don that Batsuit, i don’t think i can stand the idea of watching film no. 3.