kasalan at pag-aasawa

i remember the Reynolds wrap commercial wherein a young lady tried to use cheap aluminum foil in her cooking and it was ruined. her older sister then teaches her to use "only Reynolds wrap." at the end of the commercial the young lady used Reynold's wrap and their grandmother said, "pwede ka nang mag-asawa!"

if only it were that simple. your ability to discriminate between cheap aluminum foil from the good ones qualifies you to be someone else's wife. to bear someone else's children. to vow to love someone for the rest of your life...

but then, we know that it isn't that simple. it amuses me how the people around me seem to want me to get married. maybe it's because i have learned how to use Reynolds wrap. BWAHAHAHA! the following are some kasalan at pag-aasawa moments in my life recently.

***

my lola, who lives in Dumaguete, visisted us. we call her "mommy". sometimes i call her mommy-yo (lalung-lalo na pag may pano siyang hirit). and these are love-life-related quoatable quotes from mommy-yo during the one week that she stayed with us:

Setting: kusina, 6-ish AM
[enter tiara na mej antuk-antok pa]
mommy: may boy friend ka na ba?
tiara (na-gising nang di-oras sa tanong ni lola): wala po.
tiara (deep inside): good morning din po pala. how was your flight? kamusta ang weather? let's make small talk muna. why not?
mommy (incredulous): bakit wala kang boyfriend?
tiara (can't help but smile at this point): wala po eh.
mommy (still incredulous): bakit wala? you're beautiful. you're smart.
tiara (deep inside): BWAHAHAHA! i know i'm beautiful. i know i'm smart. kelangan bang may boyfriend na ako dahil lang dun?

**

Setting: same day, 8-ish AM
[tiara naka bihis na, all set to go to school for a two hour class]
tiara: bye, mommy-yo. uwi ako agad. two hours lang class ko eh.
mommy: oh, bakit hindi ka nag powder?
tiara: short lang naman class ko, di na ako nag make-up.
mommy: dapat mag powder ka. ano bang nilalagay mo sa mukha mo?
tiara (deep inside): as you can see, today, wala po.
tiara: moisturizer lang po.
mommy (most probably said in her mind): kaya pala wala kang boyfriend.

**
now mommy is back in Dumaguete and yesterday i got a birthday card from her (11 days early!)

the note on the card says: i hope i can still attend your wedding. wag kang magmamadali. piliin mong mabuti.
tiara (deep inside): BWAHAHAHA! winner ka talaga mommy-yo. sigurado kang hindi ka nagmamadali sa lagay na yan?

**

Ma'am Buenaseda is my co-teacher at FEU-NRMF. i love her because she is so Bisaya. and i miss the doting affection that is characteristic of Bisaya older women. Bisaya older women are like mommies. they always sound galit pero sa totoong buhay emphatic lang sila. most of the time you don't argue with them, you just agree lest tumaas pa lalo ang boses nila. hehe.

Setting: school of nursing office, lunch time
Ma'am Buenaseda: my dear! kain na tayo!
tiara (nag-chicheck ng English exams): sige po, okay na po ako.
Ma'am Buenaseda: hay naku! baka hindi ka na makapag-asawa nyan dahil nag teacher ka!
tiara (deep inside): BWAHAHAHA! it's that pag-aasawa thing again!
Ma'am Buenaseda: dapat wala kang class kapag sabado! dapat lumalabas ka para makapamili ka ng asawa!
tiara (thinking of the saturday classes of sections B, C, and F): guys, looks like you're depriving me of a love life. at least in ma'am buenaseda's mind. haha.

my heart*

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it beats when your heart beats

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it breaks when your heart breaks

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it loves whomever your heart loves

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it sees whatever your heart sees

Let my heart be so hidden in yours
That it desires what your heart desires...

Let my heart be wholly and completely yours
That I can no longer call it my own.

*journal entry: 11/27/07