This afternoon, while deciding on getting those textbooks from National or not, I found myself wandering in an undiscovered section of Super Branch--biographies and current events. I was stalling, I suppose, that I even found myself at the crafts area, which is normally a part of my bookstore itinerary, mind you, and marvelled at The Essentials of Woodworking and Balloon Making in a Flash. Funny, I thought, how these books could actually cost a family's week-long food budget. But I digress.

I stared up the tall shelf mindlessly, picking random books when my eyes fell on a white hardbound book called I am a Pencil. It didn't scream at me the way most books are wont to do. It didn't beg for my attention. It was there in the shelf, so random, so common, so quiet yet I saw it. I knew I had to buy it. It's about Mr. Stope, a creative writing teacher telling stories about his students, their dreams, their words. I had barely enough to last me till the next pay day. What to do?

I had to leave the store thinking if it's meant for me, that book would still be there this weekend and I would know.

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The in-laws are coming over for lunch next Sunday. Pressure! Kulas will cook his famous adobo and I'll make some pasta and salad. I have to fix the house and make it look like a housewife lives here.

Ha ha, funny, this morning Kulas and I had this over breakfast:

Me: Honey, next time please don't tell them about our 'domestic' issues, ok? Like you need to clean and defrost the ref na...

Kulas: ah yeah...

Me: yeah, di ba? They don't understand kasi eh...

Kulas: ....

Me: That I'm the padre de familia here... LOL

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Kulas would sometimes call their cook and ask questions about cooking. Last week, we had dinner at the in-laws and the same cook said--to me and to the other help in the kitchen--"dapat turuan na natin itong magluto eh. Dapat ikaw ang magluto dahil ikaw ang babae at nang matuwa sa iyo ang mommy mo (Kulas'mom)..." I said, "bakit, ako naman ang naglilinis ah, nagliligpit, naghuhugas--lahat except cooking!"

I am lucky my husband is man enough to be managing the kitchen, a place in the house where the woman is traditionally in. But lady, life isn't just about gender roles here...