The body is a machine that needs to be upgraded or overhauled every now and then. With that in mind, I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned.

Dr Toniet P quickly reported that my teeth are fine (which my mother will always claim to be her handiwork as she made us drink our milk and banned all softdrinks when I was growing up). Plaque build-up is minimal, to which I told her that I religiously use Plax to solve that. However, she did warn me about my gums, which tended to bleed. Also a reminder - brush the upper palate as well.

I asked her about the funky breath I've been having for some time. Thought it was because of the coffee. Instead, she offered the possibility that it could be acid reflux. Then I pieced them together - the dandruff, the bad breath. I am visualizing my application packets sitting prettily in some courier plane 30,00 ft above.

And the new stress ball, which I asked Ate CJ to work with patiently. She was working on my entire body for one and half hours. My back has been waiting for her magic fingers for several days.

After the dental appointment, it was off to Bean Hub and yes, I may be the only regular left. (Good for me, bad for their business.) In the middle of still figuring out what my study proposal is, I got a message from Ruth: check your e-mail immediately.

Remember that paper which broke my four-year hiatus from writing? My prof liked it and is considering it for publication. She asked Ruth to relay the info to me.

I know it's still up for consideration but I just couldn't contain myself and immediately looked for a pay phone to tell the folks the good news.

Other good news: Alona passed her Ilokano exam. Not-so-good news: Candy and Berto fleed their San Diego, CA apartment and are now staying with Candy's folks. The fires are around 15 miles from where they lived. Tatay says that's the equivalent of the distance between Calamba and Los Banos. Definitely not good.

Other ticklish news: two high school batchmates are apparently dating each other and the match-up is totally from left field. (Been there, been that.)

And yes, Teny is still 25 this Friday. (I am such a friend.)

Now here's a funny exchange of messages, which I will condense. Background: I casually told Tanja that I'd probably want a relationship with someone who had a job like a war correspondent or something. That way, I don't get to see him that often and we can live our own lives in different time zones.

Then I got an offline YM message from her. Her suggestion: Anderson Cooper of CNN. She saw him on TV and immediately thought of me. I replied that Anderson isn't such a bad idea. That way, I'd also be an heiress to the Vanderbilt fortune. (Anderson's mother is the legendary Gloria Vanderbilt.) Then I won't have to worry about money ever again. (Hello, Victorian society and convenient marriages!) Tanja then replied: Amy Vanderbilt. Nice ring to the name. Yeah, I quipped. Very WASP-y, especially if you pronounce it in the American manner - ay-mee. As in like Aimee. Trivia: Amy/Aimee means 'beloved,' therefore Je'taime. Another trivia: our parents got our names from the names at the back of an old Webster's Dictionary. Apparently they didn't bother to venture beyond 'A' because my sister's name starts with an A as well. She is Lamb of God, I am Beloved Conception. Hello, baggage! Hahaha.