Then I saw this nice pair rain boots worn by a Makati office chick one stormy day. And I was looking at my wet wrinkled pale toes in those Brazillian pair and pity overcame me. So I took a mental note of that colorful rain boots, and yes, get a pair by all means. It’s something you can wear during this perennially bad weather and could match every outfit, even your mom’s plus size lingerie.

I learned they call these rain boots “pluey” which means “rain”. Boots is a typical Western fashion with functional purposes – protects your toes, and your whole body as well, from cold. You wear boots there because you don’t want to get those icy blisters on your feet and the cold weather suck up all your body heat. Now you know what goes inside my head every time I see someone in boots along Edsa.

While issuing a travel ban (a.k.a. “Black Alert”) is HK’s call, it doesn’t mean that the Philippines is in the brink of collapse, that we’re a terrorist-infested territory. I just find it unacceptable that we share the ranks of Somalia and Iraq, we haven’t reach that mark yet. It is true that parts of Mindanao have been war-torn for decades, but most of these are results of clashing ideologies of people wanting change, of rebels with causes. And to date, we now have extremists infiltrating their ranks, government-sanctioned warlords (like the Ampatuans) and a police force that sorely lacks training. But these are issues all functioning governments in the world would like to address and resolve immediately. These are isolated cases that do not paralyze the lives of the rest of us in this sunny part of the world. We still can move freely – businesses in all forms likeForex training seminars, manang’s sari-sari store, and pirated dvd’s thrive, our babies grow, our students graduate, more families and friendships are formed and people can say whatever they want to say without getting shot, skinned or beheaded.

Let me end with this: Lightning could always strike anywhere – from Pentagon to the remotest parts of the world. Nothing in this world is really that secure. Airplanes crash. We get bombed. People die.

But a red van came in to save the night. Just in time for a ten o’ clock dinner. And I was the last person to board the van, taking the front seat.

While we’re on our way to Libis crossing the Ortigas flyover, the wiper broke down and we’re left with sheets of torrential rains blocking our sights. It was already zero visibility and the driver was on an emergency tail light signal just in case someone wants to cut us from behind and risk getting his head lopped off from his neck. The driver relied on the small convex mirror on his side while everyone inside was on a red alert for a possible vehicular accident. Two ways – either we collide with a truck or jump off the slopes of White Plains.

Apparently I just had my second life.

None of us planned to move out of Rizal, until late last year when Typhoon Ondoy flooded almost all of Rizal and sent everyone to their rooftops. There was widespread devastation everywhere and no way we can relieve the nightmare. That was what prompted us to go and live in the south. For our own peace of mind.

This is going to be our first family-owned house in a decent neighborhood in Cavite. The best thing about it is we can have our own mini-garden where we can set up outdoor electric grill for small barbecue parties, plant camote tops, and put up a resting place where I can do computer work.

And what I badly need right now is a bike that I can use to reach the village gate. I hope someone would give me a car to address my commuting worries from home to office.

Venus Raj’s “major major” was actually “minor minor” compared to the degree of suffering other contestants have to endure. Now, this brings one “major major” issue back to the table: why not get an interpreter and let our Pinay beauties speak in Tagalog?

The insistence of our local pageant organizers to conduct Q&A’s in English may be good, but it limits a candidate’s ability to express herself well. Why the unwanted pressure? Being a country with the third largest number of English-speaking citizens in the world does not mean that we do speak the language well. Some of us never really had an access to quality education and grew up learning English from the television sets. Others grew up in an English-speaking community but can be as dumb as anyone else. The ability to speak in English should never be equated to intelligence.

Beauty contestants are judged based on their beauty, character and brains, but not the language. South American titleholders of Miss Universe have always been aided by an interpreter, a practice no one took against them. They were able to share their thoughts well without looking stupid. Why not do the same to our own local candidates who are not comfortable expressing themselves in an alien tongue? After all, no one really expects our beauty contestants to be grammatically correct.

Bekimon has been around for quite some time. Some of my friends, those who made a living selling pharmaceutical products, insurances and bcbsnc plans, speak it with ease, and I have eventually acquired a few words as well, like “mudra”. But no one has officially “christened” it until now. Classic examples might hit you home: kalerki, junakis, chorva, ma at pa, anda, jowa, chenes, itich, etc. Try checking out Angelica Panganiban and John Lapuz in the movie “Here Comes The Bride” and you’ll get a pretty good bekimon material there.

How it became another language I don’t know, but gays and most women everywhere have been using them. Bekimon came from the words “becky” or “beki”, gay speak for “bakla”. It is used like a secret code among gays living in a homophobic society.

Prof. Jesus Federico Fernandez, former chair of the Department of Linguistics of the University of the Philippines, gave a brief lecture on how “bekimon” is formed in 9 ways: “paglalapi” (adding of suffixes), “pagpapalit ng tunog” (changing of sounds), use of acronyms, “pag-uulit ng salita” (repeating words), “pagkakaltas” (shortening a word or phrase), “katunog” (sameness of sound), “paghihiram” (borrowing from other languages), and “pagbabago ng kahulugan ng salitang hiniram” (changing meanings).

At the time of this writing, an online bekimon translator is already in place. We’re evolving.

Venus Raj may have lost her bid to a Mexican beauty, but her “Major major” became yesterday’s hottest topic online. Let us not forget that Venus still succeeded in making it to the Miss Universe Top 5, despite the pressure of having to deal with Monday’s hostage drama that ended in tragedy.

Anton Ego is everyone’s nightmare. He’s the boss breathing down your neck, a colleague spitting fire at you, or a bank running after you. Whatever the case may be, the rains won’t totally ruin your wedding day. A bouquet of flowers would be tossed, everyone would still be sipping champagne and dancing merrily until the wee hours in the morning. There will always be that someone, a family or friend, who’d back you up every step of the way. Your personal Ego can’t torture you unless you allow him to.

Let me share what the all-time harsh food critic Anton Ego wrote down his learnings on the paper:

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.

The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends.

Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more.

I am not really familiar with different art forms. Often times I hold a biased view against art forms that do not conform to the standard. Cubism, a Picasso-inspired art form, is something I didn’t understand until I saw how Manansala used the style – like mirrors reflecting overlapping images. He used the post-war cityscape of Manila as his subjects – from vendors of Quiapo, jeepneys to women in the slums. His works were a visual feast of colors and style, combining an Amorsolo-like artistry to Picasso’s cubism.

So so inspiring.

I haven’t bought a house. But I almost did when we spotted this particular place near SM Taytay. I went to the PAGIBIG office only to find that I was 5th in line. It wasn’t meant to be mine.

Now you ask me, what did I learn from these extensive real estate trips? Let me share my top 3.

1. Choose your developer well.

If you’re going the route of buying a brand new house and lot, you’d better do a background check on the developer. Study their portfolio. Ask around. Buyers are often times lured by budget packages only to discover later on that their wallets are about to be slashed some more. Houses were poorly built, facilities were not ready, and the property sits on a landslide prone area. I’ve checked several public forums that had became sounding boards for disgruntled homeowners. But high praises were given to Avida, DMCI, Filinvest and Megaworld.

Always remember that you are investing a fortune here, 100 times the price of an insurance for ipads. So spend your money wisely on properties that won’t be a headache later on. Ask for warranties.

2. Use your PAGIBIG

Minimum interest is currently at 6% per annum. Not bad. If you’re a member, why not use the benefit? All you need is to go to PAGIBIG office in Makati and attend a housing seminar before scouting for a property. They also sell foreclosed properties, but be careful if they are still being occupied by the previous owner. It won’t be easy. The responsibility of driving them out falls squarely on your shoulders. So better find an unoccupied territory.

3. To see is to believe

Go on a real estate field trip! Don’t believe what the photos tell you. They have been whitewashed. See the place for yourself and have a mental checklist of the following – basic utilities, accessibility, transportation, land safety, security, etc. Try visiting the place at night or when it’s rainy. There you’d see what the property looks like in real life. It can be tad ugly.