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Even as “Barack Fever” hit the Philippines in last year’s US elections (knowing the repercussions, it’s as much the Philippines’ elections, too), I remained a skeptic. And I still am, to some degree. I was rooting for Hilary to be the next POTUS, not because she was a woman (although that’s a plus), but because I followed her work as a Senator and her gigantic fight to furthering the healthcare bill. I believed she had more mettle and experience than Obama as a leader.

But Barack became President, and I couldn’t feel bad, knowing he had a similar platform to Hilary and that the US just narrowly missed having a VP in the White House who had an atrocious grasp of US history and geography. Still, I was wary of the shiny young dynamo package (sponsored by Oprah and Target) that the Obamas presented.

I defnitely did not plan on reading Dreams From My Father, Barack’s autobiography and tribute to his father. But then I heard that the man could write, being elected the first black president of The Harvard Law Review. I was intrigued. I read the first lines of his book, and I realized instantly the book wasn’t ghost-written or hastily manufactured for the campaign. I had been a ghost writer for a politician once before and the BS meter definitely did not go off with this one.

Barack’s words in the book read like him: simple, incisive, direct, but soulful and raw. There’s an energy that reflects the man that we saw and heard during the debates. What’s most refreshing is the book’s exposure of Barack to the point of vulnerability, at times. The book talks about bigger issues like his mixed ethnic identity, political beliefs of his father, etc., but it remains personal and human. I think I’m starting to like the guy.

My favorite work of Arnold Arre has always been a draw between Mythology Class and Andong Agimat. But getting into the universe of Martial Law Babies, I have a strange feeling my favorites list is going to expand. It’s a “a nostalgic trip through some of the Philippines’ most colorful and compelling eras – from the rigidness of pre-EDSA Manila to the dizzying, commercially-intoxicated world of the new millenium.”

This is the third time I am rereading Winterson’s novel, The Passion. The first time was sophomore year in college, following my experience with her first book, Written on the Body (still my most beloved of her novels). It was such fuel for an aspiring writer like me. The second time I read it was durng a hiatus, in between jobs, in my twenties, before I went to her book reading and signing of The Lighthousekeeping at the 2004 Edinburgh Book Festival.

Last Christmas, I found this is a dusty corner of our shelf in Iloilo, and here I am reading it again. Each time I read it, it feels like the first time. And the parts I do remember come across as a case of deja vu.

Winterson’s works (especially Art Objects) need to be read and reread at different junctions of one’s life, like an anchor or a sort of small-scale bible.

Now that my youngest brother is enjoying dorm life at Heriot-Watt, I felt compelled to teach him the right way to wash dishes. It may seem unimportant, but when you’re living on your own for the first time, it comes in handy and will pay dividends.

I started travelling at a young age, and I’ve observed the different ways that people in other countries clean their homes and wash dishes. And I can say with great confidence that the Filipinos still have a far superior method, even compared with Americans and Europeans (in my experience, anyway).

I observed this particular dishwashing method among people in the UK (particularly Scotland) and the US:

• Fill sink with hot water bubbled up with dishwashing liquid
• Put all the dirty dishes, pots and pans in and soak for a few minutes
• Use a long-handled brush to clean the dishes
• Drain soapy water and fill sink with plain hot water
• Take dishes out and let them dry on a rack

This method is problematic because a.) a brush won’t clean the glasses and dishes thoroughly no matter how hard you scrub and b.) there will always be soap scum left no matter how many times you soak those soapy dishes in clean hot water.

Bottom line: WHY NOT USE YOUR HANDS TO GET IT CLEAN?

I’m not sure what it is culturally that makes most people from First World countries icky about using bare hands to clean anything, but when it gets down to it, it’s the simplest, most practical and often most efficient way.

Here’s the best way to wash dishes as taught to me when I was six years old in Home Economics class:

• Sort the things you’re going to wash. Stack like dishes together, put glasses together in one area, utensils, etc.
• Scrape off any food or particles left on the dishes. Put a tiny amount of dishwashing liquid or paste on sponge
• Using a wet sponge, soap one item at a time

• Soap the glasses first because they are the least dirty among the things you’re going to wash. Focus on the rim of the glasses where lipstick stains stick

• Soap the spoon, fork and utensils next. Don’t neglect the handles because they tend to have grease stains as well

• Soap the small dishes, big dishes, cooking pots and pans last. For pots and pans, use a scouring pad to remove the sticky food particles
• Run hot water from the faucet or fill basin with hot water to rinse the items in. Rinse one item at a time (following the order of soaping) with your own hands under running water or in the basin. Make sure it’s squeaky clean
• Put on rack to drain excess water. Then dry with a clean dishtowel
• To clean a rice pot or rice cooker: fill pot or cooker with water and leave until rice stuck in it comes loose. Throw the leftover rice away and soap and rinse the pot as usual
• For non-stick, Teflon lined pans, do NOT scrub with anything rough or you’ll destroy the Teflon coating. Food won’t stick to it anyway, so rinsing it briefly with your hands or soft sponge under running water is more than enough

And unless you’re a professional beauty pagaent contestant trying to maintain a manicure or have a very bad case of ezcema, you really don’t need rubber gloves to wash dishes. Believe me, the grease and food stains on dishes won’t give you STDs. Just wash your hands with gentle moisturizing soap or handwash after doing the dishes to get rid of the greasy feel.

Of course, you can always use an automatic dishwasher. That is, if you can afford the electric bill that comes along with it.

Fifteen years later, I find that the field of hobby gardening has had amazing technological advances. These aren’t new products, either; they’ve been around for about four years now, but I’ve only found out about them recently.

Get a load of this one, called Space Age Tomato Plant (also comes in Bell Pepper variety):

Apparently, you don’t need soil anymore to grow a six-foot fruit bearing plant in the comfort of your room or apartment. Imagine just plucking a fresh, ripe tomato right off the plant as you’re cooking. The best part is it costs only about $4. I’m guessing this will be the next ubiquitous “accessory” in every TV cooking show host’s kitchen.

This one is the Pepper Kit designed for office desks. It’s a colorful substitute to flowers and pretty foolproof to grow, or so the kit says. Greenhead.com says you only have to “choose whether you want the tomato or bell pepper kit and then simply add water, the nutrient mix and provide some sunlight to the starter cup which needs no soil.”

These weren’t the same pecks Peter Piper picked, that’s for sure.

At about $80, you can own the AeroGarden 3 (above) with a variety of 3-seed kits to choose from. You can grow three plants in one AeroGarden, whether three kinds of herbs or flowers. Portable enough for small kitchens, it claims to have an Advanced Growing System that “achieves up to 30% greater growth than the AeroGarden Classic.”

Like the Space Age plants above, no soil is required, just water and the pre-packed nutrients. Then one simply turns on the AeroGarden anywhere and anytime (it pumps water through the plants and provides its own full-spectrum light that stimulates and maintains plant growth). Andrea’s Reviews gives a comprehensive review of the AeroSpace after trying it out herself.

The Patio Garden ($79.95) is an upside-down planter that supports vegetable-bearing plants. The planter supports downward-growing tomato plants through built-in holes. The top of the planter may be filled with soil so you can plant other herbs or flowering plants. It looks like a perfect complement to modern and contemporary themed homes and offices.

But really, if I had a yard, I would plant The Zombie of Montclaire Moors Sculpture (below) every Halloween. It’s well worth the $90 to see the faces and hear the random screams of visitors and trick-or-treaters.

I decided to Google the word myself and came across the Love Calculator (always fun), Love Poems and Quotes, and my new great discovery, Loving You.

Presenting their top twenty list of Sexy Text Messages (in italics are my personal favorites):

1. I could describe you with one word… delicious!
2. Nothing is more beautiful to me than you wearing only the moonlight and my kisses.
3. I dream of you here with me with nothing on but our imaginations.
4. I can almost feel you here… caressing me… touching me…
5. You are the fire burning inside of me; you are my passion for life.
6. In the deep of the night I dream of your touch.
7. I am dying to feel your touch all over my body.
8. I can feel the fiery passion of desire begging to be shared in a blissful night of paradise.
9. I love the way you love me!
10. Our nights together send me to new heights.
11. I want to evoke such a passion within you that leaves us both breathless.
12. You are the fire that burns the passion within my soul.
13. Loving you makes me desire you even more.
14. Did you dream of me touching you last night?
15. I love the way you make me feel when we’re together.
16. The passion we share together just leaves me wanting one thing… more!
17. I want to make love to you every minute of every day.
18. When you can count all the stars in the sky; that’s when I’ll stop wanting you.
19. You are my forever lover.
20. Can you come over here and give me a good rub down?

Laugh until you have coughing fits this New Year!

NEW YEAR’S EVE. The rush, the panic, The List — the New Year’s Resolution List.

I gave up on The List a couple of years ago. I know what the self-help gurus say about writing it down to “cement” it and to have something tangible to hold yourself to, like a contract. But nine times out of ten, these resolutions never make it past paper.

The trouble with The List is it’s too much pressure. The state of mind is too hopeful and light at this time of year that people tend to write down unrealistic resolutions. Take some of the doomed resolutions from my own List in past years:

• Starting a healthy diet and/or exercise regimen – FAILED!

As a Filipino at the tailend of the holiday season, I’ve already set myself up for failure with this resolution. With all the leftovers and obligatory visits to relatives, a diet isn’t likely to survive two minutes in the face of kaldereta, pancit molo, and lechon in all its incarnations. And exercise after all that food in this sultry weather? It only happened in my dreams.

• Organize the house/room/office — FAILED!

The flash of fireworks and smell of pulbura (gunpowder) always conjures up visions of sugarplums dancing on my head and illusions that I could easily organize any room in my house/office in a day or two. And of course, when I start to get down to it, I never know where to start. After a few frustrating hours, I end up hiding documents and clutter at the back of the closet instead of organizing it — I’m back where I started.

• Change bad habits (including, but not limited to, smoking, drinking, obsessive behavior)  — FAILED!

Yes, I know the touchy-feely moments with family and friends tend to bring out the hopeless romantic in the most jaded people. Grand promises are made, and for a moment it’s easy to pretend it can really happen. When the luster of the New Year fades, so does this ubiquitous of all resolutions.

And my favorite resolution on The List:

• Become a better person  — FAILED!

Usually this resolution is all about me trying to change my lifestyle to be more environmentally conscious or to control my temper better. This has always set me up for loads of guilt and disappointment every time I fall short of that picture of perfection I have in my head.

So I’ve nixed The List altogether and what do you know? I’ve finally taken up a sport I can be passionate about and I’m still actively doing it three years later. Although it’s still a struggle to lay off the junk food, I’ve been more vigilant about my diet without beating down on myself. And aside from the stable weight loss, I’m happier, too.

So what’s the secret? There is none! I just remembered a few simple facts of life that everyone eventually realizes after some trial and error:

• The list is not the be-all and end-all.

Making a list is not the point. The point is taking a step forward by putting down your plan of action where you can see it; a reference point. But a reference point is just that, a pointer to the goal. The goal is not to cross out the list. The goal is to accomplish the things on the list.

• Make it short.

It was easier for me when I limited the list to about 5 or less immediate goals for the year instead of a dozen. Just one major thing can be overwhelming, let alone a dozen or more. That item I listed before, “organize room,” took me months because, like the typical middle-class consumer, I have a closet crammed full of clothes, bags, shoes and knick knacks that have to be sorted out. I also have a bursting bookshelf and collection of toys and lunchboxes that are encroaching on every inch of floor space I have left.

Also, I kept the sentences short and to the point. No conditions, no ifs or buts. For example, I wrote, “Learn and play tennis” not “I promise to go to the nearest tennis court and learn to play tennis so I can lose weight, etc. etc.” This way, my mind stayed focused on what I needed to do, and I didn’t put unnecessary pressure on myself.

• Be very specific and task-oriented.

Like I said before, in my revised non-List list, I wrote down “Learn and play tennis.” I didn’t put down, “Take up a sport that I will stick to” or “Lose weight by taking up a sport.” It pays to be specific. When I knew that I just had to do this one thing, I went ahead and did it, and the benefits I wanted immediately followed without the stress that usually accompany such resolutions.

I was also able to organize the mad chaos of my room by writing down, “arrange my bookshelf” and “give old and unused clothes to the orphanage,” instead of the general statement”organize room.” After putting order to my shelf and closet, it was a matter of just moving from one area to the next.

• Set a realistic timetable.

While it was specific and easy to understand that I needed to organize my bookshelf, it could still have ended up on my FAILED list if I didn’t set a timeframe for myself. I knew that my calendar after the New Year celebrations would be full of meetings and trips to the bank. So I set aside two hours every Saturday to organize my bookshelf.

It wasn’t done overnight, but I didn’t feel frustrated because I was doing something concrete to finish this specific task. The most important thing was, by the first month of the New Year, I had accomplished at least one resolution. It seems like such a small thing, but the feeling I got for (finally) finishing something on that list got me on a roll.

• Make it a guilt-free list.

Lastly, as much as I love promises and resolutions and challenges, the point of having a list like this is to have a happier, fuller life. Becoming obsessed about it defeats the purpose.

When my brother saw me agonizing about an item in my list, he scoffed, “It’s just a list, you know.” And after the initial outrage I felt toward him (how dare he belittle my efforts!), I realized he was right. It is just a list, and if I don’t accomplish everything on it before the year is up, the world isn’t going to end. I can always start over. And here I am, starting it over.

Happy New Year’s Eve, folks. Eat too much and steer clear of the pulbura.

New Year’s Eve Madness kicks two people in the back of the head, sends them reeling, seeing stars and snowflakes in this muggy city.