My Potential Keeper

Another excerpt from Theresa Lariosa's Bulalo Soup for the Sole:

…And so, almost every week, I get to meet someone new. I categorize most of these guys into ONERS, POTEN-Cs and the KEEPERS. The ONERS are your usual one-night-stand possibilities. Ones you wouldn’t be caught dead with under the sheets the next day. The ones you wave at from a far-off distance and hope that he won’t come near. The names you don’t bother to ask. Usually I entertain ONERS when I’ve taken in more than enough alcohol to sedate an elephant. They absolutely look gorgeous when they’re blurred.

Then, there are the POTEN-Cs. Just like the vitamin supplements, they could be essential but they are not the be-all and end-all of living. POTEN-Cs are also short for potentials. The one you could be serious with, but not totally. They’re “steady dates”, good conversationalists and could turn out to be terrific lovers.

Finally, there’s the KEEPER. He’s prince charming on a BMW (or a Jaguar) or any car for that matter! He has something between his ears. He can speak fluent English (or any other language!) yet can kid around like a kanto boy. And, he doesn’t go around parading that obviously huge tail between his legs! He’s the kind of guy I wouldn’t have sex with until he realizes that I would give up my whole life to be with him (which could be a while, though).

In life, POTEN-Cs could be Keepers. In fact, they could be better than Keepers. It’s not settling for something less, but living in the now. To each his own, I guess. Maybe in time I’ll get to meet MY Keeper. But right now, I’m happy meeting a multitude of POTEN-Cs. One might not stay one for long. Who knows? As long as I keep thinking of them as POTEN-Cs, one could metamorphose into a Keeper. Like any precious artifact, he might turn out to be one heck of a jewel!

Optimus Prime and E.T.

There was this scene in Heroes where Wes asked Claire, “Are you a robot or an alien?” This got me to thinking. Am I a robot, an alien or none of the above? We may not be aware of it but we’re robots and aliens in some way or another. Robots are the hoi polloi in society. They always conform to a prescribed norm. They do everything automatically even if they don’t necessarily believe in it, because they always have this need to fit in and belong to a group. Aliens on the other hand are the complete opposites of robots. Aliens have their own world. They do their own thing without giving a damn about what the majority has to say. They hate conforming and would do anything to break out of any mold that they may be cast in.

I’m not sure where do I exactly fall between the two. Perhaps I’m an alien-robot cross breed. Sometimes I can be a robot, a trend seeking follower if you’d like to call it that. But sometimes I can also be an alien going against the tide. Perhaps there isn’t any right or wrong type to be in, because we’re all built differently. What may work for us may not necessarily work for someone else.

With that being said, we shouldn’t judge someone as being odd just because they’re doing something that we’re not accustomed to doing. We shouldn’t crucify someone for not being like “us” (us here would mean the majority). But then this does not mean that we should start being eccentric and act like an outcast to everybody. Being an outcast is not (I repeat, not) cool. Being different doesn’t mean we have to go against everything else and scrap all rules. We need to find a middle ground. Being a little of both types will surely give us a lot of flexibility, don't you think?

Robot or alien, it doesn’t really matter. We all have our own unique way of doing things. We shouldn’t be programmed (as is usually the case) to think that there is only one way, one solution, or one right thing that we have to follow every single time. Ultimately it is our life. We should live life the way we feel and see it, and not on some other’s idea of how it should be. If you think being a robot will do you good then go ahead. If you want to be an alien, then so be it. Whatever your choice will be, promise I won’t sue you.

All In

If you’re uncertain of a thing, would you still pursue it or take the safe road? The sound and practical choice would be to take the safe route. Nobody wants to deal with dramas and heartaches that come with the other option. Who would want take all that extra emotional baggage? Definitely not me. But then I also don’t want to sacrifice my happiness in exchange for mediocrity. I don’t want to take the safe road just because it’s the most prudent thing to do or because it’s what most of the people are doing. I don’t want to have to ever settle for something especially if I know I deserve something better. Settling should never be an option even. I want to take chances even if it may bring potential heartaches (and heartbreaks). I want to gamble all that I have even if it means I may lose my bet in the end. Taking the least traveled road may not be foolproof but hey, life is all about taking risks. You got to take at least one (or better, lots and lots of it if your risk appetite is high), at least once in your life.

Fast Food

"Live, love, eat!" - Wolfgang Puck

I’ve been eating fast food for the past four days. Lately I’ve been craving for McDonald’s chicken with rice (and lots of gravy), which means additional hours at the gym for me. My sisters were saying fast food had a funny effect on me, all wrong and opposite at that. Ever since I started working at McDonald’s (2 years and counting), I’ve come to develop a love for it. Usually it should be the other way around right? Some would probably have an adverse effect to it and start changing their eating habits. I was actually never really big on anything fast food before. Yeah there were those occasional burgers and fries but there were no cravings. Today’s a different story though. Maybe working five days a week at a fast food joint took its toll on me (in a positive way though. Hehe).When I see and smell all the food that’s cooking in the kitchen, it’s just so tempting to screw your diet plan and grab a bite. I don’t know, or maybe it was learning and seeing how the food is prepared that has made me pro-fast food (well, pro-McDonald’s only to be specific). I’ve come to know how high the standards are maintained in producing good quality food; hot and fresh all the time. Fast food isn’t all that bad anyway. One would just need to be smart about it. If you ate a big mac today, then don’t eat it again tomorrow. If you just had a large fries with hot fudge sundae, then go burn it off in the gym instead of just sitting on your butt doing nothing. As history would tell us, anything in excess (yes, even too much love can be bad for your health.) will always, I repeat will not always be good for you. So folks, start practicing moderation if you want to live longer.