It's THAT time of the year...

...when little (and not so little kids) go to the store and buy new school supplies.

I found myself having to go to National Bookstore this morning.
It was a quick chore: Buy one item, pay for it, then getting on with my normal life.

Or so I thought.

I knew it was a mistake to dwell in the specialty paper section.





But. I. couldn't. help. it.

All it took was one look at those packs of embossed boards and I fell into the school supply blackhole.

Estimated shopping time: 5 minutes
Actual time spent: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Most women spend their window shopping time at boutiques and malls. They can lose track of time looking through shoes, dresses, bags and all sorts of accessory knick-knacks.

I, on the other hand, could care less about shoes and dresses.
My big vice are school supplies followed by home improvement stuff as a close second.

The way some girls get excited about a new fashion line is the same enthusiasm I get over the newest stationery items from 3M or Stradmore.

Say, for example, there's now COLORED plastic cover. The same transparent (& boring) plastic sheets we used to cover our textbooks and notebooks now come in fun colors of red, blue, green and yellow! (Kids today never had it so good...)

There's also a line of rabbit-ear paper clips that come in every imaginable shape. From apples to zebras, they've got it!

I almost bought this huge, oversized (can you say redundant?) paper clip (about 6 inches wide) with the words "BIG CLIP" on it. I'm guessing the manufacturer wanted to make it clear just what the item was in case you haven't seen a paper clip since 1955.

And let's not even get started on glue!

As I write this, I'm only starting to realize the depth of my geek-iness.
Oh well. I suppose things could be worse.

I could start obssessing about bookends.




Oh wait. I already do.

Crap.

Inner Debate

(Work in progress, folks. Feel free to put in your two cents if the mood strikes you.)

Resolved:

Self-imposed boundaries are not only necessary, they are also beneficial.

Government:
Self-imposed boundaries allow for an individual to define his standards for action, which in turn are defined by his standards of morality. Without boundaries, a person finds himself without principles to stand by making him ineffectual to his own person and to his society.

Opposition:
Thinking that boundaries are necessary and even beneficial is what breeds closed-mindedness and biases. The very things that result to bigotry, racism and other evils that delineate one group from another. Boundaries only serve to limit possibilities, and to not fully explore such possibilities robs man of his full potential which in turn deprives society as a whole.

What's next? Rainbow Brite?

At first it seemed cool. To have icons from your childhood brought to the big screen in full Hollywood regalia.

Now it's starting to become...

...annoying.

Word is out that a live motion picture production of G.I. Joe is underway, which is due for release in 2009.

And I'm feeling ambivalent on this.

On one hand, it sounds exciting.
Cartoons like these are closely associated with my memories of being a kid - having spent countless Saturday mornings watching these shows. I can go on and on about how 15 or so years ago, the kids in my neighborhood role-played what we saw on TV that week.

And all the girls wanted to be Scarlett. (Yes, even me.)

So it's not surprising there's a significant attachment even now in my late 20s.

On the other hand, news about yet another Hollywood remake of a Saturday morning cartoon generates as much excitement for me as press releases by this city's rich & (in)famous.

Example:
So-and-so makes an appearance at some club
wearing a dress designed by some person
for an event that has absolutely no relevance or value
to 98.95% of the country's population.

(And still, these things still find its way to the major dailies because....?)

At least with the news about the remake, I could stake a claim (even if it's only in my head). After all, I was part of the show's target demographic when the show was made.

Okay, so I wasn't born and raised in America; and no, I did not own G.I. Joe dolls. (I mean, action figures.) And my not being a boy is just a minor, inconsequential detail. But I was between 8 to 10 years old during that time! That's pretty damn close!!!!

I suppose if this rant had to have a point, it'd go something like this:

Is the dearth for original ideas so bad nowadays that movie producers, songwriters, novelists, designers and even celebreties are left to scrounge about trying to fish out a good idea from the past and then painting it over and calling it

'retro',
'remake' and
'redux'?

Can we also call it retarded?

Nevertheless, having ranted and waxed eloquent (?) on this, chances are I will spend 150 pesos or so to see the movie if and when it comes out August 2009...

...if only to see how Ray Park (of Darth Maul fame) pulls off Snake Eyes.

Bad ass ninja dude.

Pho shizzle.

Grace

Ever missed someone so badly...

that when you wake from a dream about them...

you feel this grief...

that literally grips your heart...

...and it hurts so badly...

...you wake up crying?


Hay, Tita Grace.

I know you're in a much better place right now.

But even after four years, I still miss you so much.

===========

Four years ago...
http://iceyqueenie.blogspot.com/2004/05/seeing-things-differently.html
http://iceyqueenie.blogspot.com/2004/05/stolen-summers-with-apologies-to-mr.html

===========

Grace Raya Dizer
May 4, 1952 - May 24, 2004
you are greatly missed

Grace

She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that
Changed the world

And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness
In everything

Grace
She's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk

She travels outside
Of karma, karma
She travels outside
Of karma

When she goes to work
You can hear the strings
Grace finds beauty
In everything

Grace
She carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips
Between her fingertips

She carries a pearl
In perfect condition
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings

Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace finds beauty
In everything

Grace finds goodness
In everything

hy U2
from the album All That You Can't Leave Behind

I've seen some real geeky things...

...but this has to be in my top 10.

Read how this geek proposed to his girlfriend using a computer game.

Talk about committed!

Ah, love....