Goddess, I Am.

I read a lot, so if somebody asked me who my favorite author is, I would probably end up with a list to rival that of Extenze’s cache of sexual enhancers. (Please don’t ask me why or how I know.) But if I were to pick one (author, not sexual enhancer) who I love most, I wouldn’t bat an eyelash when I say Colleen McCullough.

The first McCullough book I ever picked up was Antony and Cleopatra, and from the very first page, it was love – love for the story, love for the history, and love for the author. Because of that, I spent the better part of last year acquiring and reading her entire Masters of Rome series. I thought my love for her books would end there, but then I found an old copy of The Thorn Birds (definitely among my top 3 favorite stories of all time!), and she got me hooked once again. Since then, I’ve been making it a point to find copies of all her stories, which really isn’t an easy thing to do when there aren’t a lot of her books floating around. So far, I’ve managed to acquire 10 of her books (from the most unlikely sources, mind you), including the 7 Roman ones, and I’m still on the lookout for more.

I love how she writes, and I won’t even try to describe why when, for me, the reasons are intangible. All I know is she writes about the very things that I personally would’ve liked to write about but could and would never ever give justice to. And it’s because of this that she almost feels like family – so much so, in fact, that I now ‘know’ her writing well enough to recognize styles that are unique to her, such as her penchant for throwing in a Roman nuance or two even in her most un-Roman stories, be it as a character’s name, or a subtle metaphor. I find myself smiling each time I see a Roman-esque word or phrase in one of her books. I like to think of it as her personal tribute to that period of history she loves so much, and I join her in that tribute.

Thank you, Colleen, for giving me Caesar, Ralph de Bricassart, and Joshua Christian. I look forward to finding more of your stories in places where I least expect them.

I’ve never done tags before. The only tags that I ever get are the ones in Facebook, and I happen to think it’s the height of tacky – and a tad too self-centered – to flood my friends’ Facebook homepages with the 25 things that make me special, or how I have the personality of a flip-flop. It annoys me to no end when people do this because, really, I (and I suspect the rest of these people’s friends list) don’t give a flying kahuna if your celebrity twin is Ashley Tisdale because I don’t even know who that is!

But I digress. I got my first ever blog tag from Chin a couple of days ago, and this I’m compelled to do because (a) I’ve been constantly writing about myself here because, well, it is my blog; (b) I’m not forcing this down anyone’s throat (or, at least, Facebook homepage) because I figured if you’re reading this (and everything else in this blog), you probably wanted to (I imagine); and (c) I have absolutely nothing to write about that’s even remotely interesting.

So here’s what Chin is making me do this time:

1. Mention the person who nominated you.
2. List 6 unimportant things that make you happy.
3. Tag 6 blogs, state the rules, and notify them with a teeny comment on their blog.

Ladies and gentlemen, without much further ado, here are the six unimportant – and often ridiculous – things that make me deliriously happy:

1. Tattered underwear. You know, the ones with the broken elastics and frayed edges and holes aplenty. I love wearing them at home with little else. I love how I don’t feel constricted or uncomfortable, especially now that it’s summer. I would even wear them every chance I get when I go out if my outfit will just allow it. Yes, nothing makes me feel light and buoyant all day more than tattered underwear. Save the sexy ones for sexy clothes and sexy moments. They may be more attractive, but only tattered underwear can set you free!

2. Chuckie. Chuckie is not a psycho doll, nor is it a Rugrat. Oh no, Chuckie is anything but that trivial. Chuckie is nectar from the gods, the very liquid from the Fountain of Youth – and all that jazz. Yes, it’s none other than the chocolate milk drink of champions.

I’ve been drinking Chuckie all my life since the days when it was called Chocolait. We always keep a carton or two in the fridge because I just can’t be without my Chuckie. Why, I’d go without food, just as long as I have Chuckie. Oh, and I can even sing the Chuckie jingle upon request.

3. The Fiance’s Armpits. Okay, I know this is gag-worthy to some – if not all – of my readership, but this is my tag, and I’m inclined to tell the truth. I don’t have an armpit fetish or anything – gosh, no! If anything, I’ve always found armpits best ignored. Somewhere along the way, however, I developed a rather strange, umm, attachment to the man’s pits. I will always find reasons to touch ‘em and kiss ‘em and get under ‘em. I better stop right here before I start going into way too much unwelcome detail.

4. Julius Caesar. And yes, I do mean the man, and all the stories of the ancient Roman Republic before it became the Roman Empire and the lesser emperors ran it to the ground. I don’t claim to know all about it, but every time I come across a book, or a movie, or even just an article about it, that’s it – I will have little attention to spare for anything else. Right now my favorite reads on the subject are the books in Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series. I’ll talk about this in another blog post later, or else I’ll never stop.

On a side note, I do believe I have some Julian blood in me. I don’t know how that could be possible, but I like to think so anyway. Why else would I always be dreaming of conquering Gaul of the Long-hairs on horseback in gladiator sandals? I’ve considered that I might be Caesar himself in my past life, which would explain why I like wearing mini skirts. I have also considered that this may just be because I have a thing for European men and have a subconscious need to conquer, rape, and pillage. I like the past life theory better.

5. iStore Fliers. Every couple of weeks or so, I would pay a visit to the iStore in Ayala and ask the guy at the door for the latest Macbook price lists. The prices haven’t changed much (if at all), but I’m hoping they’ll knock off a zero so I can get me a pretty Macbook Aluminum,. Or perhaps take pity on me and actually hand me one on the condition that I stop wasting their paper. Yes, I do get strange ideas in my head.

6. The Toilet Hose. Growing up in the Philippines, I was quite used to the whole bucket-and-dipper routine when it came to washing up after certain, umm, businesses. When I moved to Thailand, however, I was completely hooked on the toilet hose – you know, the ones that are bolted to conveniently beside the toilet, so one can just reach over and use the nozzle control thingy to wash up to one’s heart’s content.

After living there for a year and a half, the toilet hose completely spoiled me so that when we moved back to Cebu, I actually suffered a bit of culture shock when I found out that our apartment didn’t have one. Furthermore, I no longer had the dexterity required to make the bucket-and-dipper routine work. So after much searching and loads of whining, The Fiance eventually installed a toilet hose for me – and we all lived happily ever after.

Now the hard part – tagging six other people. Truth be told, I’m mostly a lurker in other people’s blogs because I’m shy (believe it or not), so I don’t really have a lot of blogger friends. I’m just going to play it safe and tag people I know, or at least, exchanged comments with.

Kaye, Jen, Lara, Kessa, Mikes, and Lio – tag, you’re it!