While I am aware of the growing titles that are stuck in my reading list waiting to be finished, I unfortunately cannot get my hands off each book that I get to hold whenever I am in a bookstore.

Three days ago, I was browsing over the shelves and found this little book entitled Oh, God, I'm Still Single by Rissa Singson-Kawpeng. I was typing on my mobile phone some words from another book but in the end, I walked out of the store carrying this thin, handy one.

Blame it on me for being still single which made me a perfect candidate to have this book, but as soon as I arrived home, I decided that reading the novel True Believer will have to be placed on hold for some time because I will be concentrating on this one. And by concentrate, I was able to finish the book in well, record-breaking three hours.

It might be a thin book but it's packed with the wonderful advice for those, as the book referred to, yet-to-be-married Christians. Having those 10 guidelines, it gave enlightenment on some of the things that had bothered or perhaps, confused me for some time. I knew some of the things discussed in there for I had been practicing them for a while now. However, I particularly loved Lesson Number 9 which tackled setting one's boundaries. It really shed light about my questions about decoding two people's relationship status (read: if it's just MU, MOMOL or really official) in plain, simple explanation (quoted from the book):

1. Don't let any man treat you like you're his girlfriend, unless he's made it EXPLICITLY clear. If there are doubts in your head, then the answer is you're not.

2. Don't let him hold your hand,put his arm around you or kiss you affectionately (even on the cheek) unless he's committed to you.

3. Don't let him have things for free. Your time and company is valuable. So, if he wants that, let him know it's a role of a girlfriend and he won't get it unless he's willing to pay the price.

I didn't regret spending a few pennies for that book. I may have been single for the longest time now but then, just like what the book said, waiting could be difficult, given the pangs of loneliness that could strike at any given time. Yet, being single is also a finite time for a lot of things and discoveries.

I know that someone's patiently waiting for me out there too. And if my age is no longer in the calendar, worry not -- it's still in the thermometer.

I woke this morning with yet another weird dream. I found myself walking in this mini-park in Eastwood, the same route going to my office at 6 am. I know it was that early because the sun isn’t up and the wind is still chilly – as if it is just the “ber” month.

In that dream, I saw J, the guy I dated a year ago. He was in his usual, plain outfit of white T-shirt and denim jeans. We walked until we reached this restaurant, Seafood Island. What happened next was really, really unbelievable. Right there, in front of people (who to me was unfamiliar) he just knelt, opened a box with a ring and asked me the question.

I got engaged to J– (at least) in my dream.

My assumption was I said an affirmative yes because we were walking happily hand-in-hand afterwards. But when I woke up, despite the smile in my face and the “why” in my mind, I tried to shrug that dream off. Given the situation, as I see it, it could just be that the dream was trying to relate to the fact that people around me are shifting gears in their relationships and in their lives.

But I can’t forget how cute and sincere he was when he asked me those four words.



photo from Google

This post is sort of long overdue. I got the chance to see the movie The Vow over the weekend just before Valentine's day. I was browsing through SM Cinemaa's website and found a synopsis for this film. I found it interesting so I decided to spend time and money to see it.

The movie that starred Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams was inspired by the story of real-life couple Kim and Krickitt Carpenter whose marriage was put to a test when an accident leaves Krickitt in a coma and causes her to have severe memory loss and how Kim tries his best to win her heart again. Prior to watching the film, I had read about their story before when it was published in the book Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul. What I felt after reading their story in the book and seeing the film was just the same. I was moved and inspired with the amount of love they have for each other and the devotion they have towards the relationship and the promise that they made to each other.
 
I recommend this movie to people in committed relationships. I even suggested this movie to my married friends because given the fact that marriages seem to be a short-lived thing these days, the story will inspire people on how to strengthen that bond. I might have seen the film by myself but I still was able to learn lessons from it.

Just in case you'll be that lazy to click on the link, I'm re-posting the entry I had submitted to The Background Story's photo essay contest:

In the previous post, I scribbled how simple this day went. Only to find out that something wonderful is bound to happen. Which I will narrate here.

My Valentine's Day went to be simple as expected. I left home after lunch to fulfill my promise of returning to Starbucks in the mall near my former office. A week ago, I was invited by the friendly barista to watch a live band perform in their branch. So, date or no date, off I went. I also spent time meeting one of my former office mates, Beth for a chat over ice cream and a mere solemn period in one of my happy places, Fully Booked. I was surprised because I heard their branch play a rather nice version of James Taylor's Everyday. It was then followed by The Script's The Man Who Can't Be Moved which reminded me of one of my friends (Hi, Jeff Z!) as it's one of his favorite group and the song was actually one of my anthems. Funny but I did not leave the store until the song was done playing it (:-p)

I got myself a new journal to take the place of my present one which has a few blank pages left, immersed over a good book, a tall Java Chip Frappuccino and a slice of Oreo cheesecake.

Before I left today, I was able to log in and check for recent developments and as instinct hit me, I found one new comment that needed my approval. And maybe, Valentine's day in a way has some magic in it for I arrived home to another surprise.

Want to know what it is? Please check out the next post :-).