So little time, so much to do,
I'd rather spend my days with you...
- ARKARNA (from the album Fresh Meat)
So little bucks, so much to buy,
I'd rather spend my days in The Limbecker Platz ...
- THE INDEPENDENT CONSUMER (from a page in her diary)
As I have said on my introductory spiel, living is consuming, and consuming is inevitable. In my (and everyone else's) day-to-day existence, products, products and more products have starring roles. This is a typical “day in the life” of an independent consumer.
Here's a dog-eared page from by boring consumer diary:
MORNING:
Refreshed with rejuvenating water courtesy of Manila Water (“We don't just lay pipes, we improve lives” always kicks in every time I wash), I instinctively proceed to take those quick gulps of coffee (no more Taster's Choice, Nescafe Classic tastes just as good). Brewing is out of the question, and in today's hurried world (at least mine), has really no place in the kitchen counter. My 3D electric pot has perpetually replaced the whistling teapot). Grooming rituals consist mostly of Safeguard soaps (because my Mama has always bought it since I was a child), a Palmolive Egg and Vanilla shampoo from Jo's brief vacation from Bahrain), the ubiquitous Colgate tube, Ponds scrubs and face creams, Vaseline lotions, Rustan's Essences non-essentials (exfoliants, more lotions and some gifts received and gifts I failed to give), and an array of Avon and Maybelline cosmetics.
My sartorial choices for the day consumes 30 minutes of my bedtime and another 30 of my morning rush hour (the F&H jeans or the Bench cutoffs? The lovely pink sweater from a Baguio ukay-ukay (vintage or second-hand clothing stores) or the trendy Oxygen green jacket?
I definitely will wear a basic “statement t-shirt, ” but which of the black "I like pierced guys - they understand pain and know how to buy jewelry,” and the green "I may not always be right, but I doubt it"?
After that, I would need my daily dose of news (turn on my cool 5-inch CD-R King mini-plasma TV or just grab a copy of Parazzi tabloid from the corner newsstand? Better yet get the state of the world and an update on local showbiz chismis from the Internet later).
LUNCHTIME:
My lunch is courtesy of quick service food establishments around the office - which varies, according to my daily liquidity - Manang's (term of endearment for an elderly woman) homecooked lunch fares of 1 cup rice and 1 meat dish, fixed at P30 (less than $1) per plate, Jollibee Meal C (1-piece chicken and rice) at about P70 (about $1.50) or Kenny Rogers Meal 1 - Quarter roast chicken, rice,two side dishes and a corn muffin at P145 (about $3).
Then, there is the inevitable post-lunch cravings (P15 small snack bag, again from Manang's shelves, orange juice (again because of my micro-economic state, I always end up buying the P15 Tropicana while all the while intending to taste-test Minute Maid, with real pulpy orange, at P20.
An 8 out of 10 chances of probability, I will dash to the nearest cellphone card retailing station. I actually have two SIMcards for my two cellular phones (A Sony Ericsson K-series for my Globe (mobile phone network provider), and a cheaper Nokia model for my Smart). I actually also saved for and bought a Japanese-made dual-SIM cellphone (both active, not "switching") which is the perfect gadget for more than one SIM owners like me (wonder why Nokia has no similar gadget, and even if it does have one, my financial independence would not have it if there are ridiculously cheaper and even better-working models from Nippon geniuses out there), but I ended up just using it for secret TV viewings on Saturdays, when the boss is off early and everyone is just waiting for that thrilling time to log out. (I recently purchased a PLDT Landline Plus Pre-paid, (a whole consumer story in itself) which I put on that dual-SIM phone, together with a stand-by Talk 'n Text SIM, just in case I needed an extra one.
Going back to my dash to the loading station, with two SIMs from two of the nation's largest mobile networks, I have such an easy choice. Whatever network name comes out of my mouth the first time, then load it. Some consumer choices are mundane and trivial, actually.
LATE AFTERNOON:
Now, here's my favorite practical de-stressing activity: a quick trip to the suburban mall with a large grocery shop on the way home for some fresh chicken cuts (Magnolia Chicken Station, either by force of habit or the most cranially -ingrained name when it comes to chicken) and replenishment of my basic household needs, from toothpaste (Colgate, because other toothpaste brands leave the area around my mouth dry and itchy. Call it psychological, I call it experiential) all-in-one seasonings (Maggi Magic Sarap really works wonders, and surprise, found out when I went "home" one time that my Mama is all praises for it, too), to pantyliners and feminine pads, either Those Days or Modess. There are cheap big shades dangling on the pay counter stand, alongside mint chewing gums, magazines and micro deodorants. Except for the magazine, I have a tendency to add one of these last-minute useless purchase on my rolling pad towards the cashier.
NIGHTTIME:
I'm bent on completing a freelance writing job that needs some dose of flesh through researching on forums and threads. I'm cursing the perpetually less than 100 kbps speed of my Internet connection provider, when it should have been 356. And I only have 2 hours left from my 30-hour monthly Internet allocation plan. Chances are, I will cough up several more pesos to pay for the extra hours. I made a firm decision to switch to the competitor with a faster speed and unlimited connection, and with a free landline to boot. How could that have escaped my connectivity decision-making three months ago? Hopefully, I will remember to make the big switch tomorrow, or when I'm not too busy.
1 am:
I hit the sack, finally, which is actually a 4-inch foam-mattress that comes with a two-year warranty, and a guaranteed replacement after five years. I forgot the name but the warranty cards neatly tucked in my drawer box for appliances manuals will surely have it). My Town and Country comforter, a deal for P2,000 more or less (from a 50% midnight madness sale in SM) lives up to its name, comforting me under its warm and soft layers. Before I doze into REMlandia, I struggle to find the pen and Post-it tandem on my bedside table, crookedly writing a Note to Self: Need a card reader, MP3 King sells a single SD card slot-type for only P50. From my original P300 budget, I can get some really nice flip-flops for P100 a pair, and that cheap canvass summer bag for P150, both in SM Department Store.
Life is good.
