That Dreaded Feb 14 and other stories

my sister sent me this hilarious valentine's day message the other day and so i was again reminded that my not-so favorite (since i got married) date is just around the corner. okay, so maybe i am bitter that my husband isn't into the V-day when i, this hopeless romantic, always itch to join the throng of lovers out there crowding every fastfood and fine dining restaurant in the city. yes, valentine's day these days spell nothing but commercialization so kill me if i still feel like celebrating it. hahaha.

i checked the calendar and surprise surprise, the 14th falls on a saturday! so i thought of several ways to spend this ordinary saturday extraordinary.

• cook a special meal (pasta, karne frita or korean beef steak, and mango float for dessert)
• yes, go out, watch a movie and have some drinks afterward (provided raf lets his parents chill out for a night)
• buy several dvds the day before, cook pasta, sleep the whole day and do a movie marathon in the evening
• take raf out for some playtime and just spend on lunch
• sleep the whole morning and pretend it is indeed just another saturday

if i'd let my husband decide, we'd probably go for the last option because he has work the night before and there's nothing he'd want to do but sleep and rest the next day. i know, he is becoming boring as his long hair.

MEANWHILE

i have been following the death of one 24-year old MEPZ worker who was believed to have been raped and killed by her "textmate." according to reports, she has met this textmate through a radio station program designed for single, loveless and even those who just-want-to-meet-new friends, ladies and gents. it was supposedly their second meeting with the sole agenda of reclaiming her cellphone after the male textmate reportedly swapped phones with her on their first "date." her body was discovered in a grassy area behind a gasoline station a few days after the body of a slain call center agent was also found in a hotel. two horrifying murders in a week. there's no getting used to this. everytime you read and hear something as scary and unbelievable as this, you get the same reaction as the first time you realize these killings are possible and real - goosebumps all over your arms and the rapid beating of your heart.

i have listened to these radio programs a number of times. thanks to taxi drivers and even company drivers who seem to get a kick out of eavesdropping to some 20-year old girl discuss her vitat stats with a 25-year old out of school guy. the girl and guy, who i think call the radio station and wait for their turn to be on air, share personal information not only to each other but to a hundred or so listeners who never fail to tune in on time. in fairness, there are several ladies who don't answer very personal questions (like where exactly do you live, etc) and would only give their numbers off the air. when some callers sound hesitant, shy or just plain uninteresting, the djs egg and prod them on. the djs would try to take control of the conversation so the callers don't waste precious airtime. then after a few minutes, the two parties should have exchanged contact numbers and decided on an "eyeball" date and time for the call to be considered successful. at least, that's what i think it is.

the battle on which radio station gains the widest coverage and listenership (if ever there's a term) is fierce so of course, you can't blame the radio stations for coming up with this seemingly harmless and fun program with the single and unmarried population as its target. i bet they haven't seen this murder coming. and who would've thought that somebody would use this as a way to lure some victim into his liar? that is, if it's indeed proven that it was the victim's textmate who did this gruesome crime to her. police are looking into another angle citing it could be that while waiting for her textmate, another group of people with bad intent (it was established that more than one person could have abducted and killed her) got to her even before she met this textmate.

i hope justice would be given to both victims. it's a tiny way to compensate for their families' loss and grief.