Friday Randomness: Pandak Chronicles

A couple of days ago, I started feeling like I want to write something new for my blog. I felt that urge to write something without knowing what it is. I know that a lot of my readers are waiting for my food and travel posts. We haven’t been able to go on trips lately because paying for a house is financially exhausting, thus the scarcity of my travel posts. My food posts are also not that frequent nowadays because… uhmmm… I. AM. GETTING. FAT. I am getting a lot of emails and messages from readers asking for more Kolokoy Household posts. Believe me, I am trying to post one every Monday. But there are times when it sounds a bit “pilit” (because the Kolokoy Household is really corny, haha) so I don’t post it anymore. And then I suddenly thought of posting anything random on my blog. It may be a random thought or personal experience. But something prevented me from doing so. Somebody once told me that you should not post personal stories in your blog because people don’t read it. It does not generate traffic. The little devil at the back of my head reminded me of this. But then the little angel made me realize that this is my blog. I can put whatever I want in it, traffic-generating or not. I need something to look back to years from now, something to remind me how my brain worked at that specific moment in my life. And besides, some readers might actually want to get to know me. Feelingera! Hahaha! And so Friday Randomness was born!

Ok, enough of the lengthy introduction and let’s get started!

I am one inch short of being five feet tall. I can’t remember when I stopped “growing”. But I can still remember how I tracked my height by marking the wall in my room using a pencil. I would jump out of joy as I inch closer to getting taller. And then one day, I realized that waiting for me to get taller is a hopeless case. The oldies told me not to lose hope because I could still get a couple of inch taller until I’m younger than 18. But they were all wrong!

Believe it or not, I wasn’t really short all my life. I remember being in the middle of the line when I was in elementary. Haha! Anyway, being petite has a lot of disadvantages. I will not state those that are obvious like my inability to take something from the top shelf. Nyaha!


1. Drowning will be my cause of death!

Swimming is the only sport that I don’t faint. It’s the only form of exercise that I don’t get bored. But I can’t understand why some hotels and resorts have pools that are not pandak-friendly. 5-feet pool lang, patay na ako! I can actually swim, but I don’t like the idea of not being able to touch the floor in case I get cramps in the middle of the pool. Seriously, I am still lucky because I know how to swim. Imagine all the short people out there who don’t have a choice but to stay on the sides of the pool. Gutter King/Queen – tawag sa mga taong nasa gilid lang ng pool at kausap ang tiles dahil malulunod kapag bumitaw sa gutter! =)) A lot of activists are fighting for gender equality. How come nobody fights for height equality?! Kung walang kikilos, ako na lang! I will be the founding member of ANTI-LALIM MOVEMENT! Bwahahaha!


2. It’s always a hassle to do “adult” things.

Most of the time, people I meet for the first time refuse to believe that I am already 30 years old. They say I look younger. I bet it’s probably because my height is still that of a 12-year old. I know it feels nice when people actually think that you look way younger than your actual age, but there are instances when it becomes a handicap. Once, my friends and I went to a casino. While undergoing security inspection, the guard didn’t allow me to enter the casino then pointed to the sign that says, “Minors are not allowed!” I told the guard that I am already 30 and even offered to show my ID. A few years back when I was in Minnesota, we went inside a liquor store to accompany one of my colleagues to buy champagne. The store cashier asked for our passports. My teammates started getting theirs from their bags when the cashier said, “No, just her,” while pointing at me. You probably get the picture. Guys, it’s really hard! Hahaha! Good thing I don’t go watching R-18 movies! :p


3. Buying clothes is such a tedious task.

For years, I would buy SMALL shirts which still look like a pillow case when I wear it. Fortunately, I gained a little weight in the past few years so this is no longer my problem these days. But getting pants still is! Jeans still need to be folded or trimmed. All the freakin’ time! But lately, I buy cropped pants. ‘Yung below the knee sa mannequin tapos kapag suot ko na, sakto na sa ankle! I’m so bright! Nyaha! And oh, I need to try one more thing – maxi dresses! ‘Yung hindi magmumukhang dress na may karugtong na floor map dahil nakikipaghalikan na siya sa floor with matching hawi pa! :p


These are just three of the things on top of my mind. I may sound like I am complaining, but I am not. Being petite has perks, too. For one, I learned to become invisible and fight bullies at the same time. Because small people tend to be bullied, I learned the art of avoiding conflicts. But when pushed against the wall, all hell breaks loose. Hindi ninyo maaapi ang pandak na ‘to! :p And of course, you have the license to do childish stuff without looking like you’re trying too hard just because you still look like a kid! :p