I’ve always been “one of the boys” ever since I was a kid…that’s mainly because I have more boy cousins than girls…and I’m closer to my older brother than my sister because my sister was overly jealous of me while growing up... I being the youngest…and the “baby” in the family…I always played and tagged along with my brother and my boy cousins… I’ve learned how to  play it rough…I played some basketball with them, earned some scrapes and cuts, got into their fights(I punched a boy who tried to pick a fight with my brother once)…being one of them, I was never afraid of  bullies…because I know I have a lot of “defenders”…although “I’m one of the boys”, they would always treat me like a “princess” in the group…I always get what I want…always get my way with them…

         During high school, it was all the same… I still tagged along (even though I already have some girl-friends that time) with my brother and his friends…that his friends would do my home works for me especially math problems and some drawing projects… I’d go with them in their basketball games…watched dirt bike racing in nearby towns with them…again; they treated me like a “princess” in the group…I always get what I want…

         Came college, I have no one but myself in a strange school so far away from our hometown… I missed my crowd so much…but being from the province, I didn’t make friends easily…I was like an outcast in that big university… but for some unknown reason, boys are always the ones I easily get along with… believe me, it’s not that I’m lesbian or something…haha…here are some of my guy-friends…meet them;

         CHARLES: He’s our university band captain and a Taekwondo black belter…

         ARIEL: A student assistant and a university scholar

         RICKS: A university scholar and a fraternity founder

         BENCH: A bass player in a local rock band…and a computer genius…

         NIÑO: A varsity basketball player and my Broadcast Journalism partner

         MIKE: A campus hottie/heart throb

         RONALD: My Philosophy and Ethics instructor…

         (Just some of the guys…sad to say, I haven’t hang out with any of them anymore since I got engaged… cut off the communication, for some personal reasons)…

         There are some advantages and disadvantages in being one of the guys…here’s a few I know…

Pros:

1. You’d be able to differentiate an @$$hole from a real good man
2. You’d recognize the @$$hole moves from the @$$hole guys
3. You’d learn all the pick-up lines guys use and know how to react to them
4. Being one of the guys, you’d be able to read their moves
5. You’ll have a lot of “protectors” from bad guys

Cons:

1. Your boy-friends may scare off some potentially good guys(happened to me so many times)
2. Your boy-friends girlfriends will hate you so much…haha…(this is so true)
3. Some people may think you’re a lesbian or a slut(another true one)
4. You might become cynical and doubtful about men(I was so cynical and doubtful of men, till I met “mine”)
5. (This is the worst :) One of your guy friends may fall for you…or you might fall for them…

         As for me, I did fell for one of my guy friend(my one and only ex) back in high school; and he also fell for me…we broke the rule not to fall in love with someone in that circle… and it didn’t turn out good…so better stick to the rules…

         Like what they say, there’s always a good and bad side of everything…

         Do you agree?...

         Having an extra time today, I decided to stop by the mall on my way home…wanting to do some “window-shopping to pass the time…I went straight ahead to the lingerie section cause that’s where I usually look first…(sexy lingerie is one of my guilty pleasure)… I was surprised to see a guy in that section…he was actually inspecting some very sexy, red and lacy undies…from his looks, I assumed he’s a professional guy…he was wearing the usual everyday office attire…

         I admit I was curious so I pretended to look at some items near him…I saw he was wearing a wedding ring in his ring finger…he looked so serious and determined to find something…after a while, he called the store assistant and asked for the size he needs for that red and lacy undies he was holding…

         I was like “WOW”…can’t believe what I just saw… it’s common knowledge that buying things or presents for a woman is the most difficult thing for a man to do…because he needs to think like a woman…and I think very few men can do this…sometimes he might even ask help from his sister or even his mother…

         I remember the time when “mine” came here in the Philippines to see me…few weeks before he came, he would tell me he just came from shopping or he’s about to go shopping, almost every time we talked…I even asked him if he’s trying to buy the whole store for me…his usual answer was “just trying to buy some things for my baby”…then just a few more days before his trip, he finally asked me to give him a list of things I would love to have…I didn’t want to but he was able to convinced me…I remember the main things I listed were Danielle Steel book(take note, “book” not books), Firehouse’s greatest hits CD, and a make-up kit…haha…turned out he brought me a suitcase full of things, just for me…an assortment of Victoria’s Secret lotions and perfumes, a Dolce & Gabbana lotion and perfume set, Victoria’s Secret lingerie, a ladies handbag, Danielle Steel’s bestseller books, an assortment of CD’s of some artist I like(guess he took down some notes in some of our chats), Revlon nail polish in colors I like, among other things…my mother was actually amazed…almost can’t imagine the trouble “mine” went through buying those things…my father never did that…

         So I guess that woman the guy who bought red, lacy undies for is very fortunate…just like how fortunate I consider myself for finding a man who’d go all the trouble of shopping for me…I can just imagine him going to the mall and choosing nail polish, lingerie, or perfumes…and I know that’s not very easy and comfortable…RIGHT?....