A Love Letter

My dearest,

When I read your letter, I started sobbing quietly at my desk. I could not believe what happened. My heart went out to your mom, your dad, and to your brave boy. I know where he got the strength to do what he had to do at his tender age; he got it from you, his mother, whose faith had never wavered even under the most difficult of challenges.

I cannot imagine how life must be for you right now. Truly, I can't. You like things neat and clean and in order, and to be living under such circumstances must not be very pleasant for you. I am trying to make this light but it is difficult. The images you described keep getting inside my head, and I am lost.

Give her happy thoughts, I tell myself, something to make you smile like I always could but there is nothing. Instead, all I could think of is you and me up the mountains. We had just enjoyed a sumptuous lunch of greens and taking a walk outside. Suddenly, a gust of fog blew in, and soon, we were enveloped in a white shroud. It was as if we had seen a miracle.

God is wonderful, my dear. And we will see many more miracles, I am sure of it.

I love you.


J

Breathe

Just needed to breathe for a second. Took a pair of scissors,

my stock of paper cuttings, a plastic bracelet.

Love

A Time for Everything

On the way back to Mandaluyong, we heard a radio announcer starting to rant about the ineptness of the government. He got on his high horse and started making a lot of I-don't-really-know-what-he's-talking-about noise. And it was at that point that Kv turned off the radio to everybody's relief. "We don't need this right now," she said. And she's absolutely right. This is not the time to play the blame game; we'll have plenty of that later on.

We had just come back from a swinging trip, going first to Cainta (to take P home; she had been stranded for days in Ortigas) and then on to Marikina to visit B. Along the way, we saw Ondoy's devastation first-hand. It's nothing like what you see in the pictures. First, there is the mud, on people's shirts and faces, on buildings and roads, on cars and trees. Next, there are all those bits and pieces of trash stuck on electrical cables and wire fences, strewn all over the streets. And then there are the people, trying to pick up all the scattered pieces of their lives.

But amidst all the destruction, there were occasional rays of light: the convenience store that opened its doors to serve the community, the strangers who helped our friend get to safety, and the innocent laughter of a little boy who has the love of his parents hovering over him. I hope we could make it a better place for him and all our children.

I love you Lucky!

B's baby boy, Luis, on a rubber boat to safety :)

Grateful

Today, I woke up to the sound of my phone beeping. It was a text message from B! She had been rescued! Later, I would find out as well that E, who we have not heard from since yesterday, was also safe. My brother-in-law, who was stranded in Makati, also made it home safely. I was quite relieved until I turned on the television. There, in full color, we saw the full wrath of Ondoy.

I thought that by the morning, everything would be OK but no. There were still people trapped in their homes. There were cars strewn on the streets. There was mud everywhere. On the screen, we saw people being carried off to who-knows-where by strong currents. It was horrible. And the more horrid news: A lot of people were still missing.




Locked up at home, it was inevitable that my sons would once again start fighting. And that's when I kind of lost it. Like one of those school teachers of yore, I started telling them about how fortunate they were to have a roof over their homes while people were out in the streets, how lucky they were to be playing games while other children were shivering in wet clothes. I was mean! I admit it. On any other day, I wouldn't have minded their bickering, but this was not any other day.

Truth to tell, deep inside, I felt kind of guilty. While B was walking waist-deep in flood water with her son in her arms, I was bundled up in my blanket, sleeping. While we still have all these birthday cakes, people trapped in their homes have no food and drinking water.

But what do I do? We were lucky, very lucky, and I am very grateful. That's when I started scrounging around my closet, hoping to round up enough clothes, blankets, and towels to take to a drop off center tomorrow. That's all I can do for now, that and pray!

These photographs were taken by Marinela Poso.
She was with her sister Mapet, on their way home to Marikina.

Want to give? Here's where you can go: (From GMA 7)

Disaster Relief Operations, Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC)-Central Office
488-3199 (24 hours); DROMIC-National Capital Region, 931-8101 to 05 local 506, 951-7119 (24 hours); Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU)-National Capital Region- 734-8635 (24 hours); they need blankets

Ateneo de Manila University Disaster Response Group
Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights , Quezon City; Manuel V. Pangilinan Building Center for Student Leadership Lobby; 09089977166, 09178952792, 4266001 local 5050; donate goods or volunteer to help repack goods

Citizens Disaster Response Center (CDRC)
72-A Times St., West Triangle Homes , QC; 9299820, 9299822; donate goods or help distribute them

Radio Veritas
Veritas Tower , West Ave. cor EDSA; 9257931 to 39, 0918VERITAS; donate goods

Our Lady of Pentecost Parish
12 F. dela Rosa cor. C. Salvador Streets, Loyola Heights, QC; 632 4342397, 63 2 9290665; donate packed meals and drinking water

Victory Fellowship – Fort Bonifacio
Every Nation Building , across from Market-Market, Fort Bonifacio; 813-FORT, 8171212; www.twitter.com/VictoryFort; donate canned goods, milk, bottled water, clothes, cash or volunteer to help pack goods

B, I Send You My Love and Prayers

I cannot sleep.

Only a few hours ago, everything was fine in our world. It was raining again, something I absolutely hate, but I did not think anything of it. My only worry was this little leak in my boys' room that has resulted in a small puddle. Other than that, it was a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon.

When I checked my Facebook account however, I found out that it has not been easy for the rest of the country. Streets were flooded. Houses submerged. And everywhere people were stranded. Fortunately, we live in the south, and all my family members, except for my brother-in-law who was in Makati, were accounted for. I started texting colleagues who live in flood-prone areas, and that's when the nightmare began. B was trapped in an attic with her infant son in a village submerged in water. P was safely holed up in a hotel. E, who lives in Manila, has not answered any of my messages; I could only pray that things are fine with him.

As I asked my friends to pray for B and her baby, and maybe help in sending rescuers her way, I got more distressing news. My friend K's house was flooded and her son and father had to stay in a neighbor's house. Another friend's house was flooded, and another's, and still another's. Goodness! And here I was getting irritated by a small puddle.

I still cannot sleep so I would just do what I do whenever faced with circumstances beyond my control, I will pray.

Take A Bite!

I don't know why but for some reason this turned out to be a week of eating, reading, and sleeping. I never did get to do much cleaning (I am on vacation after all) and I never did get to meet up with my girlfriends (Too lazy, I blame it on the bed weather!). That's how it is when I'm home, I just get so incredibly comfortable that the world outside just peels away.

What I did a lot of is cook and eat. Cooking takes some time. And when you're rushing in and out of the house, it's the last thing on your mind. Before, I would cook batches and batches of dishes on weekends for the kids to reheat on weekdays. Lately, I have had to rely on my son F, who wants to be a chef, to do most of the cooking, which means I've missed cooking a lot.

Now, I had never been the best of cooks (Here's one running joke in our family: Whenever my dad finds out that I'm cooking, he'll say that he'll just eat out. Mwahahaha!) but I can be very creative in the kitchen. And like most time-pressed moms, I am willing to squeeze in a shortcut or two. And that's exactly what I did with my kare-kare. Instead of grounding rice and peanuts, I went for some instant kare-kare mix and dropped spoonful upon spoonful of peanut butter, the really oily kind. I made sure my pata and tuwalya were extra tender but dropped my veggies till the last minute so that they don't get all soggy.

When my parents dropped by, I offered my kare-kare. At first, they were reluctant. They said they'd already eaten. But soon enough, they had gravitated towards the table, asked for plates, and were actually eating my kare-kare! They even asked for seconds!

Thank you Mama Sita and Lily! You have made my day!

Care Package

The other day, my kids gave me an early birthday care package filled with my favorite things.You see, I am the sort of person who would park herself in front of the tube after a day at work or on lazy do-nothing weekends. I drown myself in the rhythms of a love story, the chills of a thriller, or the adrenaline rush of an action blockbuster. Other times, I go on DVD marathons. Friends used to be a favorite, my white noise, as my friend M put it, while I read magazines or write my to-do list for the next day. These days, I'm on Top Chef and CSI: New York. I could not bear the thought of CSI: Las Vegas without Grissom. It's just not the same. But I digress.

Of course, while I catch up with my movie backlog, my kids are right there with me. And I suppose, that's where they got the idea for my care package filled with just the stuff that we munch on during our DVD marathons.





My kids and colleagues know how much I love Hershey's. Well, I love chocolates in general but Hershey's is my poison of choice. It's accessible, it's comforting, it's not too sweet, it's perfect! Years ago, I ate a big bar of it in just one day. I don't know how I did it but I did.





Yes, nothing beats a drink of beer after a particularly stressful day. I have many happy memories, drinking bottles of San Mig Light while chatting and laughing with family and friends. I love Heineken but I have not tasted Coors Light. I suppose my kids wanted me to try something new. Nachos, well, who doesn't love nachos?!





This is my answer to everything. I never leave the supermarket without several packs of Nestle All Purpose Cream. I put it in my pasta, my soups, my Creamy Chicken Mushroom, my lasagna sauce, my cheese dip, everything!

My kids know me so well! I love you, guys! Mwah E! Mwah F! Mwah S! Mwah K!

P.S. I would like to thank as well all my friends, colleagues, schoolmates, acquaintances, and everyone else in my world who took some time to remember me on my birthday. I am overwhelmed. Thank you!

Another P.S. The day after my birthday, my son F insisted on treating me to pizza. He had saved money for it, he said. And I was super touched. It's been a wonderful week!

Guilty!

Of course, my kids aren't the only ones who lose stuff. I lose stuff, more often than not, my eyeglasses. One time, I asked everyone to stop what they were doing, as in everyone in the house, so that we could all go looking for my eyeglasses. Needless to say, they were not happy to look for my always wandering eyeglasses.

And so, about two days ago, here is what my son K did.

Good idea! Mwahahaha

Valley of The Lost

Of all the hats that I have to wear around the house, it's Manager of the Lost and Found Desk that I truly dislike. "Ma, nasaan ang gunting?" (Ma, where are the scissors?) "Ma, nakita mo yung Mighty Bond?" (Ma, have you seen the Mighty Bond?) "Ma, nasa 'yo ba yung papel na iniwan ko dito sa table?" (Ma, do you have that piece of paper that I left here on the table?) Aaarrrghhhhh!

Sometimes, I have the time and the good graces to go on a wild goose chase with them, looking through drawers, turning over pillows, just to find that one specific something. Sometimes, I just ignore them saying, "You're already bigger than me. Look for it yourself."

One weekend, I went on an organizing spree. I bought a bookshelf with a cubby hole each for E, F, S, K, and Baby S. I hooked a plastic organizer behind the kitchen door so they have a place to put all their assorted chargers (for their phones, their MP3s, whatever). I even had the energy to make sense of all those batteries, ballpens, and whathaveyous in this big basket we have in the living room. Afterwards, I congratulated myself for following everything that we routinely publish in our magazine.

In a week or so, things have gone all lost again. Sometimes, I think of mapping out everything we have in the house that my kids routinely look for: their school IDs, their test papers, the P.E. shirt, the project that they slaved over the other week, etc., etc. But then again, I think that sooner or later, we'd lose that map as well. I guess we'll just have to look for what we've lost one day at a time.

My Purple Life

Purple Frocks is only two months old but already, I've learned so many things. Purple Frocks is the Multiply site that I run with my daughter E; we look for pretty, quirky ukay clothes and then sell them off by bidding. Yesterday, to dispose of old inventory so as to make way for new items, we ran an everything P100 sale. And true enough, those items that I really liked got sold first; those which I sort of had second thoughts on remained untouched. And here I come to my first lesson: It pays to edit.

In my day job, I am a ruthless editor. It kills me when a word is not spelled correctly or a sentence is constructed in a long-winded manner. I always ask myself, "Will the reader get the thought immediately?" And as it turns out, so should I be in my Web life. I've noticed that our most successful episodes (most sellers call it a collection but I'm a TV addict so...) were the ones where we only picked the prettiest. The episodes where we sort of dozed off performed poorly.

Second lesson: It pays to advertise but your message must be able to rise above everyone else's. And of course, you must be able to deliver what you had promised. The surfer can sail through so many sites in just one hour that you have to make a good impression. When my daughter E changed the layout of her online shop for the nth time, I asked her why. Now I know.

Final lesson: I just have to say that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I'll be 42 this week. That's old in the Web world but I am determined to learn my way. There are just so many things to do in this universe. Every day, I discover something new. No wonder our mother of all mothers at the office is so enamored with it. I now understand her point. No wonder my kids are so into it. I now understand their fascination.

It's a brave new world!

Vacation

I am officially on vacation. Every year for the past three years, I've taken a mini-break during my birthday week. It gives me time to take stock of what has happened during the last 12 months. As my birthday lands smack before the holidays, this breather of a break helps me get my bearings and recharge.

Here is what I intend to do for the next seven days.

The Parking Lot

I almost missed my flight to Cebu. Because of this infernal mess that is the South Luzon Parking Lot, or at least that's how my schoolmate C calls it, going anywhere near that vicinity means adjusting your schedule by at least an hour or two. As our driver D weaved through the traffic, he recalled a recent trip to Tagaytay where it took them five hours to get from Santa Rosa in Laguna to Pioneer Street in Mandaluyong. It was horrible.

But then for us who live in the South, this is nothing new. A few years ago, when they were building the first part of the Skyway, going to work and going back home entailed a journey of epic proportions, every single day. I remember one horrific night when the rains did not stop, we had to park and sleep by the road side because really, there was nowhere to go. The roads were full, the shortcuts were flooded, and the streets were filled with people who just wanted to get home.

To say that we Filipinos are a patient lot is an understatement. We endure this mess of a traffic every single day, wasting liters of gas, and probably poking a hole in the sky as we try to get home inch by painful inch. If this were to happen in another country, it would be cause for revolution. But we are patient. We will wait.

But for how long?

Paper Dolls

I am one of four sisters, and needless to say, we played with all sorts of dolls while growing up. We had plastic ones and raggedy ones but I like paper dolls the best. I remember folding my pad paper horizontally in half, tracing my cardboard doll's body onto it, then drawing shirts and dresses for my baby. I even made little hangers from paper clips, and placed them in a shoebox covered in art paper, which I imagined to be her closet.

My sisters and I, we all had these little paper dolls and they each had a home, actually Time-Life books (you know, the series about plants, insects, planets, etc.) and each had a car, actually our slippers. And we would visit each other's homes and eat and chat away. That was decades ago, and I haven't played with paper dolls since.

But when a former colleague S told us about looklet.com, I was instantly hooked. Looklet is a Web site where you can create different looks from a wide range of dresses, skirts, shirts, jackets, cardis, boots, whathaveyous. It didn't take me long to start mixing and matching all sorts of stuff. It's like playing paper dolls in the virtual world! Come play with me!





I love those boots! My daughter E gets these killer boots from China, and I've taken to wearing them when it rains.





I just thought about our former beauty and fashion editor A, and this is what I came up with. Isn't she hot?! Come to think of it, it would be fun to make looks inspired by real people. Hmmm who would my next victim be? Mwahahaha






I like the texture of the skirt. And that hair! Love it!

Naked

I feel naked without a bracelet. I don't why but I must absolutely wear one whenever I have to step out of the house, even if I'm just going on short errands. Maybe it's a throwback from watching too many episodes of Wonder Woman, with Linda Carter deflecting bullets with her magical, mystical bracelets.




Fortunately for me, my sister B makes handmade jewelry, bracelets included. And through the years, I've amassed boxes and boxes of them (Thank you, B! Mwah!). Here are some of my favorites:





I wear this a lot, I like the white stones although I don't know what they are. This one actually made an "extra" appearance in our Lorna T cover. I was wearing it during the shoot, and it matched our color scheme, so there.







This leather beauty I bought in Bangkok as pasalubong for my daughter. Because she hardly wore it, I simply sequestered it. I love flowers!





This is one of B's early works, which I so love because I feel like Darna, with superpowers, whenever I wear it. Yes, I don't need the batong agimat, I already have my bracelet.





One of a kind, this bracelet is made of cords and charms. And of course, it's in purple; I also have it in blue! I am so lucky!





This one is already broken but I do not have the heart to throw it away. Its craftsmanship is so intricate as the stones are weaved into this crochet-like base of wires. Fabulous!




This one I made myself from beads and garterized band. It's been with me for years and years and years. I usually wear it when I'm off to the beach, I don't know why.

What's your favorite thing?

Buddy Poke

Part of the reason why I started blogging, Multiplying, and Facebooking is just so I can keep up with my kids. That's always been the trend in our house, it seems. The children get enamored over one thing or another, Mom starts poking around and learning the ropes, and pretty soon, Mom is as crazy as the kids are.

That's exactly what happened when they taught me how to play Sims a few years ago. I got so caught up in the game that on weekends, when I'd usually cook, I'd just make big batches of adobo so I can spend more time playing. When our computer crashed, erasing everything I have worked so hard for (by that time, my Sims character had become a super hero with a big house and lots of money!), I was depressed for days.

Last night, the kids taught me to Buddy Poke in Facebook. And while our avatars danced and rocked, we were giggling and laughing. It was hilarious. That's how it is to be a mom these days, you've got to roll with the punches, whether it's figuring out how to stretch that budget or learning how to bounce like bunnies in FB.

Now, excuse me while I Buddy Poke my kids into embarrassment.

Bakya Mo Neneng

I am an Ate Vi fan. When I was like six or seven, I remember telling my friends that I am a fan of Vilma Santos; they smirked at me and said that I was bakya. I didn't mind, I love her.

Over so many years and over so many movies, my fondness for her increased even more. I have Ate Vi stories that I love telling over and over again, but I'll only bother you with one today. There was the time when I was asked to do her cover story. And lo and behold, a month or so after the story came out, someone paged (yes, you read that right, paged!) me this: HI! PLEASE CALL ME AT (secret number) THANKS VILMA. Curious, I called the number and got the surprise of my life when I found myself actually talking to the Star for All Seasons. She apologized for not calling me sooner. She was abroad she said, and proceeded to thank me for the story I had written. Needless to say, I was speechless. I never expected such a gesture from her. It was . . . even now, I have no words!

What brought on this rhapsodic piece? Well, I just attended this dinner where her son Lucky (I am sorry, Luis, but you will forever be Lucky to me) took centerstage, and he struck me as smart, grounded, and awfully funny. And being the true Vilma fan that I am, I credit his good character to his mother's good upbringing. It goes without saying that I would be one of the hordes of fans who will storm the theaters come opening day of their movie.

Yes, that's so bakya, I don't care! I love her!

Showbiz

As part of my job, I am sometimes asked to appear on television talk shows as a resource person; usually on topics pertaining to parenting and housekeeping. And that's how I found myself last Wednesday trading storage whatnots with Jaya, Jessa Zaragoza, Anna Roces, Angelu de Leon, and Alicia Mayer on Sis. Alicia talked about her fetish for keeping parking tickets, Angelu told us of her pack rat of a mom and Jaya of her burgeoning wardrobe. And all the while, there were Janice, Gelli, and Carmina making us all feel right at home.


Hanging out and exchanging tips with these women, that's the easy part. Waiting for the cameras to roll, that's the hard part. There's no going around this waiting. You just have to grin and bear it (or in my case, bring loads of proofs to read so that I still get some work done). And of course, there is the makeup. TV makeup is not everyday makeup. It's thicker, heavier, and well, just not me. I cannot imagine how these women can do this every day.


And so, the cameras roll, and we chat for two hours, and by the end of it, I am exhausted. The bright lights, the upbeat audience, and the constant need to smile and be all-perky can be very tiring. And so, when things finally come to an end, I am just so happy to go back to the office and get on with my real life.

With Apologies to Faith

In her status check, one of my Facebook friends gushed about arriving home to "shouts of glee and a 'knee' hug from Baby Joseph." Ahh, I remember those days when every homecoming is a cause for celebration, peppered with loving hugs and warm kisses.

Tonight, I arrived home after a long, hard day at the office, and here is what happened. My youngest son K opens the door and gives me a quick kiss. My eldest son F, who is in the middle of making some kind of school project, raises his head just a tiny wee bit to give me a nod. My middle son S just looks at me. My daughter E comes out of her room, tells me "Ang mahal ng gatas!" and then goes, "Oh, hi Ma!" Mwahahaha

I'm not complaining because at least, I am still acknowledged, even if less excitedly. But I just want to say this to Faith: Enjoy these days, my friend, they are precious!

Sugo Ng Mga Sugpo

Since I already woke up early for a morning shoot, I decided to make the most of the day by taking in a movie. After watching Kimmy Dora with a bunch of friends last Thursday at the "sosyal Robinsons Pioneer," as Mk put it, my thirst for the big screen was suddenly reawakened. I am a big movie fan but for I-don't-know-how-many-months-now, I've been content with my DVDs, care of my favorite dealer. But as Bb. Joyce Bernal zoomed in on Zanjo Marudo's crotch to the guffaws of the entire audience, I found myself craving for more, more of the theater experience, that is.

It was a toss-up between The Time Traveler's Wife and District 9. As Kv had already seen the Eric Bana-Rachel McAdam film and Mg gushed about District 9, we went for the action. The minute I saw Peter Jackson's name on the credits, I knew I was in for a ride. He is, after all, the man behind the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

It started interestingly enough, with the movie made out like some kind of documentary about this guy whose name I cannot pronounce and, goodness gracious, spell (He's South African, I'm Filipino, give me a break!). In time, you've got a giant spaceship like the ones from Independence Day, aliens they called prawns like the ones from Starship Troopers, with shades of Jeff Goldblum from The Fly and Robert Downey, Jr. from Iron Man. But before you think District 9 just ripped off all these elements from all these movies, let me just say that its point of view was original, and it was immensely entertaining.

By the tail end, I was half-expecting the aliens to swarm the Earth to rescue their crustacean peers but, I suppose, the producers already have a sequel in mind. Coming soon: Sugo Ng Mga Sugpo!

Babysitting

I spent most of today taking care of Baby S. It was easy enough, at first. When she's not sleepy or hungry, Baby S truly is a little bundle of joy. She smiles a lot, makes this kind of scary motormouth noise, and now knows how to play games. I love this little routine we have where I stand her on my knee, with her back to me. I then call out her name, first near her right ear then her left; and every time, she'll tilt her head to wherever it is her name was called. I then give her a big fat kiss at the back of her neck, and she laughs out with glee. I am so proud of myself for having invented this little game.

Needless to say, I wasn't able to do anything much today. When I put her to sleep the first time, I didn't dare move from my seat for fear of waking her up. That's how I ended up watching The Fast and The Furious for the second time in 24 hours. When I tried reading while she was busy chewing her toy, she grabbed my book, and ended up chewing that as well.

By the end of the day, I was tired and cranky and woefully in need of some alone time. I've forgotten how it is to take care of a baby. I've forgotten how all-consuming it is. A baby doesn't care whether you've got stuff to do, when she's hungry, she's hungry. I've forgotten how draining it is. Somebody please tell me how a sleeping baby is able to tell the difference between you carrying her while standing up and you carrying her sitting down. Sleeping Baby S knows when I'm going to sit down, and she'll cry for me to stand up.

I know that I've done this four times over but well, let's just face it, I'm too old for this shit. Mwahahaha

Don't Text Me

A friendly reminder, somewhere in the outbacks of Cebu . . .

The Beach

I hate the rain, and all this downpour has got me thinking about my favorite place, the beach. Growing up, summer meant spending weeks in Matabungkay, building sandcastles by day and making bonfires by night. My sisters and I always had a whale of a time, especially since my Mom always prepared a feast of a lunch. I distinctly remember one afternoon where we chowed down a whole caboodle of hilabos na hipon. I was in my teens, my stomach could take anything. Summer could go on forever for all I care.

And so, at the start of September, I find myself thinking of summer . . .

Of sleeping on a hammock in Sumilon . . .

Of feasting on fresh crabs and fish . . .

Then taking a walk at Snake Island . . .

Of spending the day at Jonah's . . .

Of wading in the waters of Malapascua . . .

Wish you were here!

I'll Sleep On It!

I knew something was up. Wednesday night, a dear colleague at the office, E, gave me a bunch of Hershey's Dark Chocolate. Normally, I would have chomped down those babies in one sitting. But I haven't been feeling a hundred percent the past few days. And so, those dark babies remained uneaten, just waiting for me to bite into them.

By Thursday, I had a headache big time. And though I felt a bit groggy, I went to work and told myself that things were OK. I had a lot of paperwork to do; they couldn't wait. Fortunately, I remembered Berocca. My colleagues have with them rolls of Berocca to ward off the blues, and I asked one from Kv. In about an hour or so, I felt energized; I was so refreshed that I even managed to do these hilarious Nadal impressions while we took our merienda break (I love you, Kv!).

When I woke up Friday morning, the headache was still there, thomping at the back of my head. My throat was dry, my nose ached, I knew I was going to come down with something. At that moment, I told myself, Berocca or sleep? I chose sleep. When your body's telling you something, you have to respect it. And so I did. After downing an analgesic, I put my phone on silent, and slept.

A few hours later, I am alive again! Sleep is the best!

Gone Frocking!

About two and a half months ago, my daughter E and I decided to do an experiment. Seeing how I enjoyed going to ukay-ukay stores, hunting for one-of-a-kind clothes, E thought that I should start selling my finds online. E, who is the entrepreneur in the family, already has an online shop, and I am proud to say that it is doing quite well. She told me that she'll take care of making the Web site and fixing the mechanics, all I had to do was look for the stuff. At first, I thought, "Where will I even find the time?" But then, as the days went by, the idea seemed to get brighter and brighter, inside my head, at least.

So that's how I found myself in our favorite ukay store, going through every rack, inspecting every hanger while Lady Gaga blared on the radio. When it came time to name our little experiment, I didn't have any problems thinking of one: Purple Frocks. Why? Well, just because I love the color purple and just because I love the word frocks (It must have come from watching all those Jane Austen-inspired movies!).

Looking at all the other online stores selling ukay stuff, I decided that we should shoot our items beautifully and with a model, and that's when we made one of our greatest discoveries: E's friend J. I've always liked J; she's always been nice and polite, and she is sexy thin, a prerequisite for any aspiring human hanger. And the thing is, she knows how to move her lithe body, and we just love her!

And so Purple Frocks made its debut. We've shown five collections thus far which we call episodes (I am a big TV fan, that's why). And every episode is a learning experience. Just the other day, my daughter E said, "Wow! Computer-literate na si Mommy!" And that to me is a great compliment, especially from someone who spends half her waking hours in front of the Web.