KTV madness

I absolutely HATE karaoke TV. In my list of most hateful things ever mass produced, KTV currently takes the No. 1 spot. My absolute disdain for this godawful device makes me unlike many Filipinos who will betray good reason and their education, and abandon shame and whatever little consideration they could afford their neighbors in the name of KTV.

In my opinion, anyone who inconsiderately belts out what usually is nothing but abominable singing should be FINED for making hapless victims out of others who never asked to be tortured that way.

When frogs croak endlessly during rainy nights, it drives me crazy; but frogs will be frogs. When a full grown man or woman croaks what he/she believes is a melodious song, it drives me mad; but I guess trogs will be trogs.

It seems to me that the norm in KTV is to "sing" a demented version of the original song, rendered so horribly out-of-tune that it can upset even the saints. In the face of a KTV attack, don't you think to be deaf doesn't seem so bad? I really find no reason for a KTV to exist in a civilized society unless those who worship this idiot box can contain the plague that they're unleashing inside their own sound-proofed room.

I don't mind people having fun or finding an outlet for their bottled-up fantasies (although in many cases I pray they stay bottled up). If KTV gives them that, so be it. But they should also bear in mind that their choice of entertainment is quite tasteless and, more importantly, it wreaks havoc on the lives of other people who are happiest when things are relatively quiet especially when it's clearly a time to sleep. People who show no respect to others by belting out so loud to the discomfort of those who unfortunately live next door or across the street to them are clearly not smart enough to know that they are already giving away their true upbringing even if they are from higher class. In which case, the high class drops to low class IMHO.



To have fun is one thing. To have good social breeding is another. I can't emphasize enough that breeding matters.

KTVs when they fall in the wrong hands can be like weapons of mass destruction. If you derive fun from using this unintelligent, low-tech device, please have your head checked because it exhibits poor judgment. And if after that you are still compelled to sing along a KTV, at least look around you first and make sure no one will get hurt.

I have suffered one of the most unforgivable KTV madness by a neighbor during Christmas eve. What does KTV have to do with the birth of the savior, Jesus Christ? Yet even before I could put that painful KTV episode behind me, they were at it again on New Year's Eve with a KTV mic on one hand and on the other an additional instrument of terror: firecrackers. Idiots.

A stitch in time

I have a new Brother. Not the human kind. It's a machine. An electronic sewing machine to be exact.

Forrest Gump was right when he said: "Life is a box of chocolate. You'll never know what you'll get." Last Christmas, the last gift box I opened contained a portable Brother XL-5500. Totally unexpected, but totally appreciated. I haven't tried using it but the box said it has a four-step auto buttonholer, a fast needle threader, and an auto bobbin winder. It also claims to be capable of doing 36 kinds of stitches for four different categories: garment construction, decorative stitches, heirloom stitches, and quilting stitches. It's so great it intimidates me! :)

As a kid, I was amazed by my grandmother's antique Singer sewing machine. I used to play with its iron wheel and foot pedal when no adult was looking. I was always mesmerized whenever the needle neatly buries itself onto the cloth up and down and, with the pedal and the wheel also in motion, they created a homey rythmic sound to my ears. My eldest sister would later buy our own sewing machine which provided good service for years until typhoon Ondoy came and flooded and broke everything in its path, including our sewing machine.

Now, as an adult, I get from time to time a "Martha Stewart attack" which I describe as an obsessive compulsion to create something that already exists in department stores. I can draw and paint in my own freestyle way, and I can do needlework, too, if the mood strikes me. I can also create little decorative things with my own hands if I want to. The only thing that dampens my DIY spirit is lack of time, which others interpret as lack of patience, ha ha ha. I want to create things but I want them done fast. But craft is about perfection, and I know you can't hurry perfection.

This is why early this year I got myself a little red sewing machine to see if I can do things with it faster. It's the cutest sewing machine and I was so ambitious with it that I created seat covers right away! The result is acceptable if your vision is poor. Alas, my little red sewing machine is too tiny for the volume of fabric I passed through it.

Now, I kept glancing at my new Brother while typing this and wondering what first projects I'll have with it. Maybe I'll make my dog something...perhaps a cape. Or, maybe, I'll first attend the free training session that go with the purchase of a new Brother sewing machine so I'll know how to operate it well. After all, moving up to 36 stitches from the one and only stitch I know -- the backstitch -- is a big step.

Of socks and Christmas

A good week before Christmas and I find myself able to relax. I like it that my last magazine issue for the year is finished, my articles for the remaining days of the week are just waiting to be emailed to the newsroom, my gifts are all wrapped and ready for distribution, my refrigerator and cupboard are full of foodies, my Christmas ornaments all in place, and I can simply sashay through the remaining 7 days till Christmas like a child. The fact that I can pause to count my blessings now tells me that once again I have time in my hands and I promise to enjoy it.

Yesterday I attended what I believe is my last work-related parties for the year. I wore a new pair of strappies to the party and my feet never complained until I had to walk a bit to the mall to meet a friend. I should know that shoes in "break in" phase are not supposed to be for extended wear. By the time I got to my third stop, the grocery, my big toes won't stand for the pain anymore so I had to devise a way to get them out of the straps and still manage to walk. People are so busy buying their Christmas groceries that nobody noticed my queer shoe fashion.

The whole episode reminded me of the Vibram Five Fingers footwear. Voted by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of 2007, Five Fingers is the next best thing to walking or running barefoot according to those who've tried it. I put comfort first before style in everything I wear, so this ultralight footwear appeals to me in that sense. Aesthetically it's too revealing for me and could be unflattering I think, but if I had Five Fingers yesterday when my feet were killing me, I'm sure I would have worn them gladly. After all, wearing them puts you in the company of successful geeks like Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google.

I don't know if there are stores selling Vibram Five Fingers here in Manila, and I'm not about to embark on a hunting trip to find out. Not during this crazed Christmas shopping time. So, I guess I won't be sashaying on Five Fingers this Christmas unless some "foot" fairy comes and fill my Christmas socks with this sock-free shoes that many now call their new "VFF".

Taking Stock

My tin Santa that serves as my advent calendar declares that it's just 10 days till Christmas. I wonder what geeky gifts I'll get. This year is quite different from my past Christmases because now I don't have a must-have gadget on my wish list. The two Canon digital cameras I got last year are still okay. In fact, one is still inside the box...unopened! My two iPods also have lots of room left for more songs and videos so it's easy for me not to want an iPod Touch yet. Last time I checked I have three notebook PCs and two netbooks. Also, after giving away two Sony Ericsson mobile phones that I've grown tired of, I still have four units left that include a smartphone, a music phone, a 3G phone and a no-frills handset. I also have a new sleek AOC LCD monitor and a new Pixma photoprinter that are still in their boxes. In 10 days some of these items will be raffled off during the family Christmas party. Maybe this year I won't receive a geeky Christmas gift because I will be the one to give.

Merry Christmas everybody!!