There’s this particular store where I always end up buying something. I’ve even told whoever happens to be the assigned cashier that it should be renamed The Budol Shop.
The merch? Hand towels, mouse pads, key chains, Labubus, stuffed toys, water bottles, kikay kits, notebooks, ball pens, sign pens, eye masks, mini-packs of wet wipes and tissues, hair brushes, combs, bathroom mats, travel storage bags, and so on and so forth—and of course, piggies. Back when I was still eating keto goodies, I’d buy the nuts and even the high-carb snacks. To say it’s one of my happy places is an understatement.
Shopping can be a woman’s best friend. Aside from the Budol Shop, I now find myself constantly hunting for T-shirts I can wear to the gym. Cheap, cute T-shirts that don’t require robbing a bank. And in the middle of that search, I found one with the number 17 emblazoned on the front—huge font, you’d have to be blind to miss it. The material was too thick for the gym, though, so I wore it as my top for the OOTD at my friend’s birthday party last March.
In case you’re the last to know, 17 had been my favorite number since 2015, when I became the 17th president of a particular club. My induction as incoming president was on July 17, 2015, and as outgoing president on June 17, 2016.
The club had its first-ever movie premiere sponsorship on Dec. 17, 2015, at the Ayala Malls Centrio cinema for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” In 2016, the club won a total of 17 awards, including Most Outstanding Club.
In other words, 17 was written all over that one-year term in 2015-2016. I have no idea why. It just happened that way.
When the new Php1,000 bills came out, I even started collecting those whose serial numbers ended in 17.
And then I learned that the team-building of Ateneo de Manila University's men's basketball team in Dipaculao, Aurora, was actually a tryout to pick the 17 players who would move forward to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines games this year. That info immediately crushed my favorite 17 to smithereens, down the drain of the floods that the flood control scams failed to control. 17 is no longer my favorite number. So what do I do with my one and only 17 T-shirt now?
And then I realized my 17 memories with that particular club aren’t exactly pleasant either. In fact, I should have treated 17 as my unluckiest number. So the more I wonder what to do with that 17 T-shirt. Hmm.
Aside from piggies, I tend to collect things I find cute, nice, or unique—yes, what kind of criteria is that. Like wood products. Frames featuring typewriters since I’m—ahem—a wannabe writer. Even mugs, which can be the worst gifts ever.
I used to collect miniatures, and I’ve kept the whole collection. The miniature tables and chairs are displayed in the living room, while the rest of the items are kept in a glass cabinet alongside my piggies. This cabinet holds tea sets, chinaware, clay and ceramic pieces, cookware, a nativity scene, a wooden ironing board, an iron, soda cans, and, of course, the classic miniature bottles of soda in their tiny crate.
