Feed My Vanity

Here’s something that always bothered me: How do you know if you are settling?

This thought has crossed my mind since I was in high school, the likeliest time when hormones are on a rage and you thought you knew everything there is to know about love. Anyway, I only remembered this when I had coffee with a friend who never had a boyfriend her whole life, and she’s wondering how to say no to a guy who told her “I am an underachiever”. Somehow the conversation led to “How many red flags should you allow before kicking his no-good a$$ to the curb” to the eternal “what if I never find THE ONE.”

But going back to the original question: how do you know if you are settling? Where is the line between settling and being plain obnoxious that your notion of what love is supposed to be doesn’t measure up to reality? Does it mean that since you have very different ideas of what a night out should be that maybe it’s time to go on separate ways since that may fall under settling?

Is it your fault if your love life doesn’t end with happily ever after?

Also, is it your fault if you’re not one of the lucky few to have bumped into your designated THE ONE? To not be one of the lucky lucky few to find him/her?

What if you had laundry that needed folding that night and your designated THE ONE chose that very night to drop by your favorite Starbucks branch which you didn’t go to that night because you can no longer ignore that mountain of laundry you had to fold?

Just to be clear, I am in a relationship and I’m happy. I just wanted to vent because these standards we set ourselves can just be the very things that screw us.  The questions I asked are questions that never really have concrete answers, so why should there be concrete ways to know you are settling?

Of course there are the obvious reasons: domestic abuse, laziness, selfishness, a general dislike for the occult, and so on. But what if you got on so splendidly that it doesn’t seem so splendid because there is no conflict for comparison?

Oh well, it’s one of those nights. Goodnight dear imaginary readers.

Everytime I’m in HK or Bangkok my wallet gets a spring cleaning. And spring cleaning is a must, just like detoxing don’t you think?

There are a great many things about the past four days I want to share with you my dear imaginary readers. My memories are hazy, but I only remember being in Hong Kong and emptying my wallet over and over again. Then I woke up and I had a suitcase full of new clothes, a new genuine leather wallet, the odd little tiny tiny sparks of regret here and there, and the delightful memory of finding a Cotton On branch in HK.

I’ve only shopped twice in Cotton On. Once in Singapore, and in HK recently. I love it for its simplicity and subtle edginess. Plus it’s cheap AND I had the luck to stumble on a branch that had a sale.

COTTON ON Accessories

Got these great bracelets for a great price. I’m not sure why the accessories are tagged as Rubi, but I guess that’s what they call their accessory line.

Rubi bracelets. From the top, Silver bangles (originally HK$35, on sale HK$10), silver and gold cuff bracelets (originally HK$69, on sale at HK$25 each)

AND

Belt originally HK$69, on sale for HK$15

AND

Sonny Pannel Dress originally HK$149, on sale at HK$75

The picture of the dress doesn’t do it any justice.

Anyway, my brother the Gremlin is stamping his hairy leathery foot because he wants to use the PC and pretend he’s studying. Will continue this post on my next entry.

Me loves Cotton On. This is a short, stupid but sweet entry. I don’t care, you’re imaginary anyway.

So I love me some Kate Winslet and being a fantastic actress, she’s sure to pull this off flawlessly.

Kate Winslet as Mildred Pierce

PHILIPPINES, MAY 13 2011 – The much-anticipated HBO Original Miniseries, MILDRED PIERCE, starring Academy Award^® winner Kate Winslet in the title role, will premiere in Asia on Thursday, June 9, with a special 2-hour premiere starting 9pm on HBO / HBO HD.

This five-part drama brings to life the memorable character introduced in James M. Cain’s classic 1941 novel of the same name, and offers an intimate portrait of a uniquely independent woman who finds herself newly divorced during the Depression, as she struggles to carve out a new life for herself and her family. The story explores Mildred’s unreasonable devotion to her insatiable daughter, Veda (Evan Rachel Wood), and the complex relationships she shares with the indolent men in her life including her polo-playing lover Monty Beragon (Guy Pearce) and ex-husband Bert Pierce.

Led by Kate Winslet (The Reader, Revolutionary Road), the cast of MILDRED PIERCE includes Guy Pearce (The King’s Speech, The Hurt Locker), Evan Rachel Wood (HBO’s True Blood, The Wrestler), James LeGros (Zodiac, Enemy of the State), Melissa Leo (The Fighter, Frozen River), and Brían F. O’Byrne (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Million Dollar Baby), and co-stars Mare Winningham (Made in Heaven, George Wallace), Morgan Turner (who plays the young Veda) and Hope Davis (About Schmidt, American Splendor).

The highly anticipated five-part HBO Original Miniseries MILDRED PIERCE premieres in Asia on Thursday, June 9, with a special 2-hour premiere starting 9pm on HBO / HBO HD.

HBO Asia is on Facebook! “Like” HBO at http://www.facebook.com/hboasia.

I’m sad over a tshirt it’s ridiculous.

For the longest time I wanted a National Geographic “Live Curious”, “Ignorance is Boring” tshirt. And for a while it was sold in Regatta for around P400.

I didn’t know.

In my defense I was exhausted from work last November and December, and those months were particularly taxing, depressing, mind-boggling, hair-raising, scalp-hurting, skin-scalding, incredibly annoying that it hurt me physically, headache inducing, brought-out-the-possible-murderous-instincts-out-of-me, stressful, sad months for me.

So yeah, you get the picture.

I wasn’t able to buy THE shirt. I didn’t know. And I woke up and suddenly it was January 2011 and Regatta phased out the Tshirt.

Live Curious National Geographic Tshirt (photo taken from spot.ph)

Now, my boss told me that National Geographic has a store in Singapore. And turns out we have some business-related matters in Singapore and he needed to go (I wasn’t able to go because somebody had to hold down the fort). I told him to purchase me three of the shirts, one for me, one for the boyfriend and one for the Gremlin brother.

So imagine my horror when he texted from Singapore “It’s SG$65 (roughly P2,200), you want me to still buy it for you?”.

In the negative of course. Under no circumstances will I spend that much on a shirt. So I have to content myself with living the slogans instead of living AND wearing it. But yeah, I’m still stupidly depressed over a shirt.

Anyway, a friend gave me a L’Oreal eye pallet and I’m excited to use it tomorrow. Will tell you all bout it in my next entry.