dual*ities

For weeks now, I have been talking about getting myself a "Lurv-Pia Day". Well, what do you know? It finally happened. Today, Easter Sunday.

The day started out like any ordinary Sunday would. I went to mass with the family, then had brunch with them at the Pancake House. And then the day…my day really began. Since there were still a couple of hours left of the morning, I decided to get myself a haircut. Summer’s fast approaching, and I really could do with a trim. Nothing drastic really…but it immensely improved my spirits.=)

Leaving the salon, I passed by Filbar’s, a magazine and used books shop. I decided to go in to check out the magazines, but ended up buying a used book entitled Sex and Gender–An Introduction by Hilary M. Lips. It’s actually a text book for Social Science students, particularly those who are into Women’s Studies. As if I needed more academic text to read! Hehe. But well, the topic is truly of interest to me. It’s an advocacy of mine really. Plus, the book costs next to nothing (P 30.00!). So yeah, it was a worthwhile buy.

Happy with my purchase, I proceeded to my next destination: Seattle’s Best. When I was still working full-time, I told my officemates that the first thing I’d do when I quit my job would be to just hang out the coffee shop by myself all day, and lose myself in the pages of a good book, without having to worry about work. Well, in my almost four months of being “gainfully unemployed,” I’ve never actually gotten around to doing that. Until this day, that is. So yeah, I did the works—ordered my Javakula Chai Tea, got myself a couch in the corner, and read my book. (In keeping with the Holy Week-Easter theme, I originally planned to re-read Darrell Bock’s Breaking the Da Vinci Code, which I brought with me. But well, Ms. Lips’ book kind of stole my attention and held it too. So I read on sex and gender instead. Harhar.) After about two hours, I realized that sitting around in a coffee house (without the company of friends) is probably not my cup of tea (although I enjoyed it while it lasted). And so I took off and decided to continue on with my reading at home.

On my way home, I passed by National Bookstore to buy a couple of DVD-R’s that I would have to give to Maita in order for her brothers to burn me the first season episodes of The L Word (yay for Maits and her bros!). As I was paying, the cashier pointed out to me that I already had an E-Purse of P 430.00 on my Laking National card and I could actually use it to purchase anything without having to shell out money. Gosh, wasn't I thrilled to hear that! Actually, twice before, I’ve been told by the cashiers about the amount in my E-Purse, but I never really gave it much thought then. I figured I’d just let it accumulate until it gets big enough one day to actually allow me to purchase a book. Well that one day has finally come. The timing is perfect actually. It just so happened that I’ve been eyeing Dean Koonz’s The Taking for months now, and I knew it was just a matter of days before I finally bought it. The only thing that was stalling me was the fact that there are about 4 more books piled up on my bedside table, waiting to be read by me. Budgetary-wise as well, getting a new book was not a high priority item. Well, thanks to my E-Purse, I could throw all those reasons-for-stalling out the window.=)

I got home mid-afternoon. That gave me time enough to continue my leisure reading on an academic text (yah I know, I’m weird), watch Finding Neverland on DVD (while wrapping my books, new and old, with plastic cover), re-watch my Lilith's Fair DVD, and listen to my old tapes (bought at a time when CDs were not yet known to humankind), before I called it a day.

One of the tapes that got resurrected from its 10-year burial in the drawer was 10,000 Maniac's Our Time In Eden. I’d almost forgotten how much I liked this band! Listening to them was like being tesseracted back to my college days.=) And the best thing about it was that the following song (which makes for a good night cap), in fact, very aptly captures the spirit of this day…of these days really:

These Are Days
10,000 Maniacs

These are days you’ll remember.
Never before and never since, I promise
Will the whole world be warm as this.
And as you feel it, you’ll know it’s true
That you are blessed and lucky.
It’s true that you are touched by something
That will grow and bloom in you.

These are days you’ll remember.
When May is rushing over you with desire
To be part of the miracles you see in every hour.
You’ll know it’s true that you are blessed and lucky.
It’s true that you are touched by something
That will grow and bloom in you.

These are days…

These are the days
You might fill with laughter until you break.
These are days you might feel a shaft of light
Make its way across your face.
And when you do you’ll know how it was meant to be
See the signs and know their meaning.
It’s true, you’ll know how it was meant to be.
Hear the signs and know they’re speaking to you, to you.

It's such an “Easter song,” don’t you think? =)