Goddess, I Am.

Everyone knows I’m quite the Apple fan girl. I honestly think Steve Jobs is one of the most awesome figureheads the world has produced since Julius Caesar and Octavian/Augustus, and Apple gadgets are the best things since Roman architecture.

Still, this doesn’t mean that I own Apple stuff aplenty. Most people would be surprised to know that apart from Octavian (my Macbook Pro), an Apple remote, and a grubby old iPod Classic, I don’t own any other Apple gadget at all. I don’t own an iPhone, for one, all because I find the price too exorbitant for my taste. Neither do I own a Magic Mouse because I just don’t have any use for it.

Now I wouldn’t mind spending so much on a gadget, if I knew I can – and will – get the maximum mileage out of it, like poor Octavian, my meal ticket. An iPhone, on the other hand, is about as useful to me as a natural colon cleanser, and I could not, for the life of me, be made to shell out nearly half a month’s salary on one. Oh, I came close many, many times, yes, but my delicate (haha) sensibilities always got the better of me each time.

And I’m thanking all my lucky stars for my good sense (haha) now that the iPad is out. Many people are running it down for being just a big iPhone or iPod Touch, but for me, it was love at first sight. This is the reason why I never did get the Kindle or the iPhone or the iPod Touch. I suppose in my own way, I knew Apple was going to come out with something that would have everything I ever wanted in a gadget, and the iPad is IT.

It’s the PERFECT size for an ebook reader (at least, for me). It has email and music and video. It can do documents and spreadsheets with reasonably priced iWork apps. From what I’ve seen so far, browsing is a joy, as well as gaming. Apple really outdid itself with the multitouch. Best of all, the price is actually reasonable, considering it’s Apple. And if you take the time to compare the overall benefits with that of the iPhone, you’ll find that the iPad is more worth its price tag.

On the downside, it’s not widescreen, which makes it a no-go for serious hi-def movie fan boys like The Husband (I had to endure another lecture on aspect ratios and stuff while he argued his point). Flash support is non-existent. Typing can be potentially cumbersome if you’re not in the right position, but I find that can be easily fixed with the iPad case (I’m hoping it comes with the package). It does seem impossible to use when you’re walking or standing upright, though.

Oh, it doesn’t have a camera, too, which is a negligible omission in my opinion. Just imagine trying to take a picture with it, ugh! But the name . . . Really, couldn’t they come up with a better name than iPad? It sounds like a freakin’ tampon.

For me, however, the pros definitely outweigh the cons, and the iPad is as good as sold in my book. The iPad might not be for everyone, but it’s definitely for me. I read A LOT and I read quickly, so this means I won’t have to take 20-odd books with me when I’m traveling. I can check my email and edit documents quickly if my boss needs me to when I’m away from Octavian. It’s so skinny, I can easily stuff it in a handbag. And the 10-hour battery life means I will never, ever be bored again – or at least, I won’t have any reason to be.

Oh, April can’t come quickly enough! I will, of course, do my best not to cave in and get the wifi one in March, instead of waiting another 30 days for the one with both wifi and 3G. Hopefully, I can pick up a 32 or 64GB on my Singapore trip. I think I shall name Octavian’s new best friend Agrippa, after the real Octavian’s real best friend.

Know more about the iPad here, if you haven’t already.

Update: So the 3G version needs a ‘micro’ SIM. For the moment, none of the Philippine telecom providers have this technology. It looks like I really might be going for the wifi model, after all.

I’m depressed. I am now down to my last two Masters of Rome books, and though they’re both thick enough to keep me occupied for the next couple of months, it still makes me sad knowing that in approximately 700 pages or so, my beloved Caesar will be dead. That, and knowing that there will be no more books forthcoming in the series now that Colleen McCullough is losing her eyesight to macular degeneration.

Anybody who’s been reading my blog would probably know by now that I’m completely obsessed with Julius Caesar and all things Roman. I can say with all honesty that Ancient Rome is definitely one of my life’s greatest passions, even if it’s one that I only found less than a year ago.

So in my current despondent state, I find myself wondering what my life would’ve been like if the whole Roman thing was something that I’ve been into since childhood. Would I have chosen to become a Roman historian? Would I have taken an online teaching degree with a major in Roman History? Would I have pursued it, even if it seemed too impractical and useless for one living in the Philippines? Would I be writing in Latin right now, maybe even annotating Caesar’s Commentaries myself, rather than ordering an English-translated one from Amazon?

Yes, how’s that for an alternate universe? The thought of myself leading a scholarly existence is strangely interesting, if not a tad disconcerting.

So will my Roman obsession end with the death of my beloved Caesar, the end of the Roman Republic, and the last of Colleen McCullough’s books? Definitely not! There are more books to read, more stories to enjoy, and more great Romans to get to know and love. And no, I – or anyone else, for that matter – don’t need an online degree for that.

Indeed, my Roman romance is far from over. And that thought, at least, cheers me up somewhat.

Gaius Julius Caesar’s grandfather, who was also called Gaius Julius Caesar (so was his father, FYI), killed himself with his own sword after being seriously ill for several months with some sort of throat malignancy. His colleagues in the Roman Senate found this extremely courageous.

I do, too. But then, I suppose it’s a lot easier to choose death over life when life meant lying on one’s own excrement and being a burden to one’s family. If I ever had something serious like, say, Mesothelioma cancer, I’ll probably do the same. I want to be kind to my family and kind to myself.

I’m not saying everyone should do this. After all, it’s still a matter of perspective.

No, don’t mind me; I’m just being morbid. Because I can on a rainy Friday afternoon.

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!