Hodgepodge

You know you're getting old when you're attending a friend's wedding every other week. It seems like half the people I know got married or are getting married this year, not to mention I have THREE more weddings to go to in the first 2 weeks of January '09. It's an epidemic!

While I'm genuinely happy for my friends who have taken the plunge into the deep fathoms of marriage, there are 3 things that tick me off about this endless wedding blitz: 1) I have to keep buying new dresses because I don't want to be photographed wearing the same thing over and over again; 2) I have to keep bracing myself for those inane, mortifying bouquet-garter games; and 3) I have to keep listening to my mother's increasingly grating see-everyone-else-is-getting-married-and-you're-getting-left-behind spiel.

Oh, and a 4th peeve: corny wedding reception emcees who speak in barok English. Which is one reason I really enjoyed the most recent wedding I attended (Mike and Marga's)-- the groom's older brother was one of the emcees at the reception, and he was just hilarious, dispensing with formalities and poking fun at Mike, their family and even the guests throughout the evening. I find it a nice touch when a wedding is very personalized in that sense.

In spite of my wedding weariness, I am practically giddy with anticipation for this Sunday, when my high school barkada Jo is getting married to Selwyn, a high school batchmate of ours. It's one of a handful of interbatch unions, which means there will be several familiar faces among the guests. What's more exciting is that our barkada's balikbayan Bev will be here for the wedding, just a day after she arrives from Canada with her hubby Dave, whom we will all be meeting for the first time. It's been 7 years since we last saw Bev, so I think I know which will be the noisiest table at the reception this Sunday.

* * *

Aside from weddings, know what else I'm sick of? Twilight. And I haven't even read the book, nor seen the movie. I'm just sick of hearing and reading about it, from my students' blogs to reviews in the newspapers. All the hype is turning me off it, even if some friends are urging me to give it a shot (which is also why I have steered clear of Gossip Girl). I don't understand why I'd want to devolve into a squealy teenage girl when I'm already nearing my late 20s, and why I'd waste my time on inferior literature (my best friend said she only got as far as page 10 of Twilight before she couldn't stomach any more) when there are thousands of truly great books I have yet to read (my reading list is not getting any shorter).

However, in the interest of fairness, I am considering reading Stephanie Meyer's celebrated novel (if you can call it that) if only so I can critique it. I have a feeling I'll enjoy picking it apart just as I did Christopher Paolini's overrated Eragon and its disastrous follow-up Eldest... which reminds me, the last installment in the trilogy, Brisingr, has already hit bookstore shelves. Maybe I should indulge my inner teenage boy first and read Brisingr before sinking my teeth into Twilight (pun very much intended).

* * *

And aside from Jo and Sel's wedding this Sunday, I'm also looking forward to learning the results of the Pacquiao-De la Hoya match. I bet my dad the price of my Nokia E71 (there's a story behind that, I'll get to it later) De la Hoya will win, even if he's older and not as agile as our Pinoy pugilist. And call me unpatriotic but I'm also rooting for De la Hoya to win, not only because I used to have a crush on him when he was younger, but also because I really don't like Manny Pacquiao, as my more loyal bloghounds know by now (see this and this and this).

Anyway, I wouldn't mind losing the bet with my dad because he refuses to let me pay for my new cell phone (which I love, love, love). I had asked him to help me find an E71 that is Chinese text-enabled, so he contacted a friend with a cell phone supplier in Hong Kong, who sold us the unit I'm now using. My dad paid him for me already, and won't let me pay him back. I even tried transferring the amount from my bank account to his, but he had instructed our bank manager not to process the transaction, phooey. So the only way I can pay for my own phone is if Pacquiao manages to beat De la Hoya.

And if De la Hoya beats Pacquiao, then I might have to get my dad a P40,000 Christmas gift.

* * *

Speaking of Christmas presents, I just found out that the Graphic Op Art Julianne I was going to gift myself with is now sold out in all Coach stores and distribution centers. I am one heartbroken bag hag. =(

* * *

And in case any of you are wondering, our village still hasn't taken down the "yellow curve" signs, even after I faxed them a letter pointing out the error. I'm giving them up to the end of the month, then the Sharpie's coming out...