Marvel comics top from Samuel and Kevin Beijing; Cargo pants from UNIQLO Beijing; Velcro flats from Bench Manila; Hoop earrings from Beijing; Headband straps from H&M Beijing
Last Monday, a friend of mine invited me over for after-dinner bonding at this really cute and cosy milk tea cafe in my area. I’d post pictures but I accidentally left my memory card in my laptop when I went out, so I’ll have to post pictures of the place for another time, since I plan to go back sometime soon.
For the first time since coming back to Manila, I was able to wear my Marvel comics t-shirt. I was so ecstatic, especially since I was with my group of geeky friends and they liked my t-shirt, though one of my friends wished I was wearing a DC shirt instead since she’s a big fan of Batman. Wearing the shirt, made me look back on when I had bought this back in Beijing. I think it was that time I was with my roommate and friend and we were just biding our time for either Thor or Pirates of the Caribbean over at Megabox in 中关村. That was a hectic day back then since we had missed the first showing because of the traffic in the area. As soon as we had gotten off the bus, we ran for the theatre building but still got there too late. Well, as you know, not all things turn out the way you want them to, but good things happen instead. Had I not been late, I would not have discovered this awesome shirt.
All these what-ifs, sometimes I do wonder what would have happened had I not become a geek. Ever since I was young, there were always a ton of books and comics in our house. Mom had a lot of old comics like Casper and Little Dot and she had them bound into a bunch of books so that they wouldn’t get lost. She had a lot of DC and Marvel comics too, but I was too young and naive to understand the context of those worlds back then.
And of course, there’s anime too. Been an anime fanatic since I was around 3, and I was first introduced to Sailor Moon. When me and my younger sister were little, mom had a bunch of those Sailor Moon hologram cards that you can collect, and for each 90 and above grade we got at the end of the quarter, she would let us pick one card each. I still have mine in my Sailor Moon card case, though I don’t know if my sister still has hers. Sometimes, I just laugh at all those memories and wonder what would have happened had I learned to let go of my love for anime and as other people say, “grown up”.
Probably, I wouldn’t understand hilarious shows like The Big Bang Theory, and I do so enjoy watching BBT and actually understanding some of the geek dialogues and topics going on in the story. If I had grown out of loving comics and anime and all those things, would I be fascinated with books like Game of Thrones or Harry Potter? I wonder. All the what-ifs.
But you know what, part of me just doesn’t really care. I love being a geek. I love all the things I like doing now. Staying up late to read books, or read manga, or watch anime, or play video games. I like collecting anime figures (that I can afford >,<) and anime-related paraphernalia. I like spending for unique items that most people don’t really understand. I like making fanfictions of all my favorite characters and imagining them in different settings, and imagining them in my own made up story world. I also love imagining what it would feel like if I was married to any fictional character, or if I lived in any fictional world.
There are a lot of what-ifs, but more often than not, I like the way I’ve turned out. Geek, with glasses, and all. It makes me feel like there’s more to me than meets the eye. And I can always bring up something unexpected.
