My Ten Guilty Pleasures.

I was thinking of what to blog about next so I went Chris Brogan's web blog once again to get an idea. Number 40 on his 100 Blog Entries list is Ten Guilty Pleasures.

Let's face it. Whether we admit it or not, we all have our own guilty pleasures. Isn't that the truth? There are just some things that we enjoy even though we shouldn't. Or at least, not enjoy it as much as we really do.

And so, without further ado, I give you my ten guilty pleasures.

10. Books, books, and more books.
I am a self-proclaimed bookworm. I have been collecting good books and been reading them since I can remember. How did this become a guilty pleasure? Here's the thing. As much as I love reading them, I have the tendency to buy books even if I still have a few at home that I haven't even opened yet. I don't know. It's the thrill of investing on good reads that gets me going.

9. Footwear
Another thing I don't mind spending my money on is on footwear. Chucks, sandals, flip flops, stilettos, flats...my current count is 25 pairs. Each size 9 pair neatly placed in its box. It's not that bad, one might think. But for someone like me who occasionally goes out and rarely finds time to chill out, it's an awfully lot. When I get my own place, I swore to myself that I'd be allocating a huge space for my shoes. Probably a closet. Haha!

8. SALE!
No matter where I go -- whether it's SM, Robinson's Place, Greenbelt, Glorietta, Rustan's -- when I find out that there's a sale, I will definitely be there! Contrary to popular belief, I don't really splurge. I don't go to a mall and spend my salary in one day. No, that's not how I go. Of course there's a budget, but sometimes, I get caught up with the beauty of buying something on sale, I go a little over the budget. Tsk tsk.

7. Food
Whose list of guilty pleasures doesn't include food? Come on! Food is always a guilty pleasure for me. Not that I'm overweight or anything. As a matter of fact, it's just recently that I was able to maintain my ideal weight. For someone like me, a 22-year-old, 5'3"-tall lady, I eat a lot. I eat as much as I cook. Whether it's Italian, Japanese, Filipino -- you name it, I'd eat almost anything. Of course, there are some food I can't eat. And I mean I can't since I'm watching my food intake to avoid kidney stones again. There are just days when I just had to eat what I can't...like nuts, chicharon, junk food. Definitely unhealthy for me.

6. Traveling
As much of a home buddy that I am, I can also island-hop as much as possible. It all started with overnight trips to Batangas, Laguna, Pampanga...and then I'm off travelling to Boracay, Bicol, Puerto Galera, Bohol for at least a week. And it was all before I worked in SEAIR. Hahaha! Such an expensive way to enjoy a vacation. Travelling is good, yes. But not if you have a limited budget like I do.

5. Romantic movies
I am such a hopeless romantic! I admit it...I am so in love with the idea of falling in love that it's so easy for me to cry at any romantic movies. From the immortal love story of Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet to the modern day fairy tale of Enchanted...trust me, I've shed a tear or two on every romantic film I've seen in the cinema.

4. The internet
It's not such a secret to anyone that I'm online almost always. Whether I'm at home or at work, I'm online. It's not only that I want to...it's also because I need to. Haha! Seriously, I know that it's not good to be in front of the computer or laptop for almost 24 hours but I can't help it. It's as if it's a reflex. Once I get to work or once I got home, I turn on the PC or my laptop and there I go...surfing the net as if I have a plan for the whole day. No wonder my blog is updated almost daily. '

3. Vanity and beauty products
I am vain! That is the honest to goodness truth. I am so vain that I don't want anyone touching my hair, especially when I've just spent such a long time brushing it to "perfection." Hahaha! Like I've always said, "Guluhin mo na buhay ko, wag lang ang buhok ko." That's how much of a vain I am. I'm not really the type who cares so much about the latest hairstyle or the trendiest fashion. But I do care a lot about how I present myself. Every month, I go to the parlor and get a hair spa so my hair will be bouncy and shiny. I get a trim every quarter so I don't get split ends. Vain enough for you? That's not the end of it. For my face, I buy Eskinol facial wash and facial cleanser almost every other month. It is a must that I have these two or else my evening routine is ruined. Make up is not really a necessity for me. I'm not one to apply a heavy make up. Just a touch of blush, application of pressed powder and a smack of lip balm and I'm good to go. Nonetheless, if ever I buy cosmetics, Care Line is the way to go for me. Of course, I wouldn't mind if my friends and family would give me MAC or Maybelline or Revlon.

2. Tennis
Not that I'm playing the sport. But watching it is as addictive as playing. Grand Slam tournaments are always a must-see for me. I would wake up so early in the morning just so I could watch a match. I would stay up all night just to finish the match. Just a few months ago, I watched the Wimbledon finals between Nadal and Federer. The match started at 9:30PM (Manila time, of course) and I stayed up until 4:30 in the morning the next day just so I can see Nadal win the title! Yes, yes, I was definitely having a hangover when I went to work but to me, everything was worth it. Even if I lost the sleep I needed to get me going through the day. How could I resist? With players like Nadal, it's obvious why I watch the sport.

1. Starbucks
It all started in 2006 when I made caffeine a habit and Starbucks was the only coffee shop that could satisfy my need for coffee. Yes, it's true. Coffee is sort of a "must" for me. To get me going. Caffeine stunting my growth did not scare me. I was tall enough for my age. If I wasn't able to drink coffee at home, I'd make sure that I get one at work. Starbucks is the way to go. The hot white chocolate mocha is my vulnerability. Well, a mocha frappuccino will do but the white choco mocha is my drink. Damn! The price I would pay to drink coffee.

And that, my dear readers, are my ten guilty pleasures.

Care to share yours?

How I Went from Very Shy to Less Shy.

(Disclaimer: This blog post is a suggested topic in Chris Brogan's web blog. To view more of his blog topics, visit www.chrisbrogan.com)

For those who don't know, I'm a very shy person. If anything, I'm the most timid person you'll ever know. And if I was one of the seven dwarfs, I'd be Bashful. Yes, people. Believe it or not, I was an introvert. Was being the operative word.

If you knew me back when I was 10 years old, you'd probably know me as the girl who sat in one corner of the room, not talking to anyone unless talked to. I was the girl who didn't feel comfortable to show off her talents. I was the kid who was the least bit confident about herself. At school, I rarely ventured out of my shell to chat with other students at mealtimes or before and after classes. I was so shy that I wouldn't even tell the nurse in the hospital that I was scared of injections (note: I am no longer afraid of needles).

And then came high school. I realized I was too comfortable in my own little world that not many people know who I really was. So I had to do something. I knew that if I didn't solve this problem, I'd have a problem in the future. So I joined school organizations. The school paper and the glee club, to be precise. Fortunately for me, it worked. Somehow, joining these organizations has helped me become more open to people, more sociable. Before I knew it, I've gained more friends than I could possibly imagine. What's even more surprising is that the name "Margie Francisco" was starting to catch on to other batches.

When I got to college, I realized I have stepped into a whole different world. College was more challenging to be sociable. Then again, to my surprise, everybody was starting to know who I was. The "legend of Margie" started the moment I became a class representative in first year. Soon, they knew me as the neophyte feature writer who wrote a great article on the new dean of student affairs. The rookie writer would become the eventual editor-in-chief of the school paper. Students and teachers alike knew me as the "girl who gets sent to numerous seminars and conferences to represent the school." With that hanging over my head, I was able to be more outgoing, more assertive, more poised than I was before.

Of course, now that I work in a magazine, it helps that I got to be the way I am today. I wouldn't be able to do my job if I wasn't that much confident. But hey, there's still that part of me that is shy. Yes, I'm still soft-spoken at times. I'm still the discreet type of girl. What I'm trying to say is that I was able to transform from this very coy little girl who didn't know how to fit in...into a young lady who discovered that being shy is never going away and waiting for an "extreme" extrovert to befriend me is not an option. I became this young lady who was successfully shy.

Hmm...I wonder if Jesus Christ had shy people in mind when He said, "Blessed are the meek."

With everything accounted for, I've learned that being shy has its strengths and weakness. Truth be told, there are days I wish I'm more extrovert that I can be. But then again, I love being the shy type.

Yes, I was a very shy person back then.

Now...

I am proud to say that I am less shy than I was before.

What My Birth Date Means for My Love Life.

I woke up to the sound of my cellphone's message tone alert. I struggled to open my eyes, thinking I needed more time to sleep. But the curiousity at the back of my head would not let me. "Who would text me at this time?" I thought, thinking that it was only around 3 or 4 in the morning. Finally, my eyes open to the pitch dark room. I saw a light gleaming slightly at the corner of my eye. I reached for my cellphone -- four messages. I clicked on "Read" and saw who the messages were from. All from one person, my friend Doray. All messages were quotes.

Damn! I should have gone back to sleep.

And I tried. But I couldn't. So I got up, went to the bathroom to freshen up, and opened up my laptop. I remembered it was the first day of the US Open Grand Slam. The moment I turned the television on, Rafael Nadal was playing against Phau.

As I logged in my desktop, I had the slightest idea of what I should do. As if on instinct, I typed the website address of Blogthings to see what kind of survey I can answer. There was a particular test that caught my eye: What Does Your Birth Date Mean For Your Love Life?

Your Birthdate: April 13

You don't love lightly.

For you, love is always a serious undertaking.

However, you are able to love many types of people.

You can bring out the best in almost anyone.

Love surprises you often.

You never know when or where you'll find it next.

Number of True Loves You'll Have: 1

Number of Times You'll Have Your Heart Broken: 5

You are most compatible with people born on the

4th, 13th, 22nd, and 31st of the month.

Oh my...

I have to say, I can believe it. Love is a serious undertaking for me...and I guess that's the reason why until now, I have yet to be committed to someone.

I was stunned to see the "statistics," actually.

I was especially surprised to see the birth dates of the people I am compatible with. Hahaha!

4th.

13th.

22nd.

31st.

Let's not be hasty about this. I'll take it in stride.

That's it! Gotta go!

I'll see if I can drop by later to do another entry...

When a Good Day Went Bad.

It's always nice to have a long weekend from time to time. I get to take a break from work, I get to just stay home and watch a movie, I get to surf the internet for fun and not for work. Hahaha! You'd think that because it's a long weekend, there's nothing to spoil the day. Oh you thought wrong...and I mean wrong with a capital W.

The past two days were generally all right. But an "OK" day doesn't necessarily mean that I didn't go through some bad moments here and there. Truth of the matter was there were a few situations I wished I could slap the person with some common sense. A person has this tendency to be so repulsive, I feel so sorry for that person. But my parents taught me well. Instead of retaliating in such a horrendous manner, I chose to take the high road -- strike back with poise, class and wit.

As some of you may already know, we've been living in a rented condominium unit. Therefore, it's not a surprise that from time to time, people who are interested in buying the unit come by to see the place. Yesterday was no exception. At 1:00 in the afternoon of a rather beautiful Sunday, the owner of our condo unit sent a text message to my dad saying she's coming by with some people to see the place around 4pm. Of course, we had no choice but to say yes. It was a Sunday afternoon. A family day. And to entertain strangers on a Sunday, of all days, is a big fat bummer.

We managed to clean the unit -- although our place wasn't messy at all -- with an hour to spare. I was personally anxious for the people to arrive. Just because I wanted to get it over with so that my family and I can go out and spend some quality time with each other. We were already dressed to go so that as soon as these people leave, we can leave as well.

I was sitting by the dinner table with my laptop, typing and retyping some articles for work. My brother was in his room working on the website for his client. My parents were in their bedroom, watching television. And then they arrived. The owner with the prospective buyers -- 6 visitors total. The moment I saw the people interested in buying the place, I knew I didn't like them. And they were about to prove why.

As I stood by the door to let them in, a woman, probably in her mid-40s, stopped in front of me and said, "Ikuha mo nga ako ng tubig, dear, at uhaw na uhaw na ako. Pwede?" Imagine hearing that in a very bossy tone. Without saying a word to her, I went to knock on my parents' bedroom to let them know that the expected visitors were here, and proceeded to the kitchen to get water for the woman.

My parents came out to meet the owner and the other people. While my parents talked with the owner, I was left to accomodate the others. That's when I heard the woman's comment, "Ang daming gamit naman dito. Ang sikip!" I couldn't control myself. I had to say something. "Five people are living here, Ma'am. What did you expect?" She looked at me as if I disrespected her. I guess she ignored me because the next thing I knew she called someone from outside and told her to take pictures of the place.

The girl did what she was told to do. But then another problem was about to emerge and I was not going to let it pass. After taking a picture of my parents' bedroom, she tried to open the door to my brother's room. She turned to me and said, "Pabukas nga. Kunan ko lang ng picture."

Snidely, I replied, "May tao dyan, baka gusto mo katukin para makita mo kung bubuksan." She looked at me and was about to say something when I cut her off. "Although I don't know why you have to take a picture of my brother's room. Nakunan mo na ng picture yung room ng parents ko, di ba? The rooms are identical." She looked at the elderly woman sitting on the couch and as if by order, she went out and waited with the other people.

The older woman stood up from the couch and handed me back the glass I gave to her earlier. She looked at me as if she was about to scold me. And I think she was going to until the owner asked her what she thought of the place. She said in a condescending tone, "Masyadong masikip. Ang daming gamit." When my mom heard this, she said in an equally sneering manner, "Pag binili nyo ito, unfurnished. Gamit namin ito, anong akala mo? Sa iyo mapupunta lahat ng nasa condo?" The tension was rising, everyone could sense it. But at least the word war didn't start as the woman chose to go out and leave with the others than go head to head with my mom. Good choice.

So there our family was. Standing side by side in our home while the others stood outside as if they are afraid to trespass once they enter the condo unit. Before they left, the owner of the unit walked over to us and apologized for the "bad attitude" of her company. Of course, being the civilized people we were. We accepted the apology and decided to forget about those people.

After this encounter, I realized that there are some people who grow up backwards. Unfortunately, these are the people who only think they are the important people in the world. How sad it is for them.

Just this morning, the owner once again texted my dad, saying that her company behaved very badly and despite their interest in buying, she was not offering it to them any longer.