In between vomiting curdled milk (confirmed the lumpy white substance that came out of my mouth with my parents) and feeling sorry for myself, I managed to draft a mental list of what products have actually worked for me and would gladly pass on to others. At the risk of being Oprah in the heat of April, here goes:

1. Rexidol 600 mg (generic name: paracetamol) - Yes, there are alternatives other than Biogesic and Tempra. Recommended by my good old Nanay (queen of non-prescription drugs and dosages). Supposed to manage hi-grade fever and accompanying aches and pains. It did. I promise.

2. Axion with baking soda - So I first think, why not buy the original Axion lemon variety and THEN shake baking soda into it? Of course that would be sooo inconvenient. Of course it will dry your hands like my lips one day without lip balm, but that will precisely put into good use all those hand lotions the miscalculating relatives send to you year after year, as if the Philippines was located beside Siberia all this time.

3. Beachwalk tsinelas in black - Tsinelas will always be tsinelas, will never call them flip-flops. That would be like denying you're really yellow-toned (which is make-up speak for morena). Eighty pesos at your local market (can't find them at either Landmark or SM) and is obviously a fraction of its pricey cousin Havaianas. (Though I have to admit, Havaianas are soft, soft, soft.)

4. Newly-'renovated' drawstring pants (with story to boot!) - Bought mock-drawstring pants (mock, because the strings were stitched onto the front, with a wide garter actually doing all the work) in that tiangge behind McDo at Philcoa sometime in 1997. Cost me Php 150. Survived a near-unravelling and years of wear and tear. When I hit 130 kg, it became very unforgiving to my crotch and bum area. Realizing that I won't get back to my weight almost ten years ago any time soon, I asked Nanay to stitch in a cord and make it to an actual pair. On me right now, very, very forgiving to my crotch, bum and legs. And progressing 30-something tummy.

5. Norah Jones' version of The Nearness of You (playing right now at Launch) - Now this is the one song I know I will never give justice at any videoke machine. Anywhere. Ever. Of course, it helps that I like this song. It redeems my near-nausea of Ms Jones' songs, no thanks to IC's Cafe, which alternates it with South Border.

Getting too comfortable with my seat at Abode. Have other errands to attend to. Okay, will give in to a B-side Rage Against the Machine before I go.